A Gift Horse
by darth-healer
Summary: Itachi learns not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sakura learns she's had her eye on the wrong Uchiha this whole time. ItaSaku NonMassacre
1. Chapter 1

Itachi woke at the sound of a sharp knock at his bedroom door. It was unusual and somewhat surprising, so it was with haste that he answered it, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Sasuke stood there, a bored expression on his face. He looked rather annoyed to be up at the early hour it was, but he wore his shinobi gear and his pack was already slung over his shoulder. In his hand was a brown paper sack which Itachi could tell was filled with food by the smell and the steam rising from its opening.

"Someone left this at the door for you," Sasuke said, shoving the paper sack into Itachi's arms.

Dumbstruck, Itachi accepted the sack and peered inside at the contents – breakfast. He could see grilled fish, rice balls, and dried seaweed inside, but he could tell that there was even more underneath that. It was quite a lot of food – too much for Itachi to eat on his own.

And he had some qualms about eating it, anyway. Who would leave him breakfast at his door? And why?

"Did you see who left it?" Itachi asked his brother. But when he looked up, Sasuke was already gone.

With a sigh, Itachi set the food aside and returned to his bedroom to get dressed. It was curious indeed that someone would leave him breakfast anonymously. Perhaps it was a secret admirer. That would not be too surprising. After all, Itachi was the heir to the Uchiha clan and it was well known that he was an eligible bachelor.

Deciding to forego the unexpected delivery, Itachi drank only a cup of tea for his breakfast and then headed straight for the Hokage tower to receive his assignment for the day.

The air outside was brisk but pleasant and Itachi enjoyed his leisurely stroll from the Uchiha compound. He waved to those he passed, smiling when he crossed paths with a familiar face.

"Good morning, Itachi-kun!"

Itachi turned to face the blonde who had called his name. She sat perched on the steps outside the Hokage tower, smiling as brightly as she usually did for him.

"Good morning, Ino-san," he replied with a smile (albeit not nearly as bright as hers).

"You're here rather early today," she said. There was a tinge of a rosy color in her cheeks. It could have been a blush or it could have been makeup. It annoyed Itachi that he could not tell. Could Ino have been the one to leave the food for him?

He walked past her on the steps, avoiding her gaze. Not that there was anything wrong with Ino. He liked her well enough. She was loud and brash sometimes, but not anymore than most of the other women her age in the village. He knew she found him attractive because she was often quite vocal about it (not to him, mind you – the blonde had a penchant for gossip herself, so it was quite obvious when her opinions and thoughts were shared around the village).

But he also knew that she was far more interested in Sasuke, which suited Itachi just fine. Sasuke was her age and much better suited for her.

"You know what they say about the early bird," he said to her as he passed. Before she could respond he had already entered the tower and let the door fall shut behind him.

To his surprise, the Hokage's office door was wide open and Tsunade sat at her desk with a chipper grin and a more jovial attitude than Itachi had ever seen her with before.

Belatedly he noticed that Jiraiya was also there – no doubt the reason for the Hokage's unusual happiness. He had been gone on a mission for some length of time and Tsunade must have been pleased to see him back in Konoha.

"Oh, Itachi," she said when she noticed him lurking in her doorway. "Don't just stand there; come in."

Itachi did as he was told and entered her office with some amount of trepidation. He was used to a more bitter and rough-around-the-edges Tsunade, so he wasn't quite sure how to behave around her now.

"Here pretty early, aren't you?" she asked. "You must be tired of those C and D rank missions."

He didn't bother to correct her.

"Well, you're in luck," she continued. "It's not high ranking, but I do have a mission that might interest you. One of the feudal lords to the north has been poisoned. As of right now we have no suspects and no motive."

Tsunade slid a manila envelope across her desk. Itachi opened it, his curiosity piqued. Feudal lords were often targets of petty thieves and small time criminals. There could be any number of people who would want to harm a feudal lord, so what was so special about this mission?

But then he saw on the second page of the dossier. Poison type: unknown. Effects: increased state of arousal.

Itachi peered at Tsunade over the top of the pages, his brow furrowed.

"Yes," she agreed with a slight smirk. "Whatever was in that poison appears to have made the poor man constantly horny."

Beside Itachi, Jiraiya laughed.

"How do we know that this is the work of poison?" Itachi asked, setting the envelope back down.

"He claims it's poison," she explained. "I have some qualms about that, but we'll see what an investigation turns up."

"I see."

"So if you're up for it, I'd like you to investigate and see what's really going on here," she said. "Otherwise I'll have to send Shikamaru, and he is not going to like that."

Itachi had to admit that he was now deeply curious about why someone would do such a thing to a feudal lord. He nodded. "I accept," he said.

"Great," she replied. "My apprentice will be going with you to assist the feudal lord with his… problem, but you will be conducting the investigation alone, unless you think you might require more help."

He shook his head. "I believe I can manage," he answered.

"Good," she said. "You'll leave first thing in the morning."

The next morning Itachi woke up just before the sun came up to prepare to leave for his mission. He had checked the dossier and the town the feudal lord lived in was roughly twenty two miles north of Konoha. That was hardly any distance at all, which meant Itachi could pack light.

So he gathered his things quickly and tossed his pack onto his shoulder. He passed Sasuke's room and listened to hear if he was awake. He could hear loud snoring from the other side of the screen door. He wouldn't be able to tell his brother goodbye this time.

When he opened the front door to leave, he noticed another package on the step. It was a small package wrapped with brown paper and tied with twine. It smelled faintly of freesia and had his name written in dark ink across the top.

Curious, he tore into the paper and found a chain necklace very similar to the one he wore around his neck already. While his was silver, this one was a darker metal – gunmetal, perhaps. Itachi furrowed his brow and tucked the necklace into his pocket. After checking the remnants of paper and finding no note, Itachi headed for the village gates.

It was certainly strange that someone would leave gifts for him like that. The gifts themselves seemed to have been tailored for him – food he liked, a necklace he already owned in a different color. Was this someone he knew? Why wouldn't they make themselves known to him?

When he approached the village gates he spotted Sakura Haruno waiting for him by the security kiosk. Her pink hair made her hard to miss. She looked quite unhappy, he noticed, and he hoped that wouldn't be a hindrance to him on this mission.

She greeted him politely when he approached her, but he could tell by her posture that something was troubling her. Her shoulders were hunched forward and a delicate wrinkle creased the skin between her pink brows.

Without much ceremony they both took off toward the feudal lord's town. Itachi would have liked to run faster, but he slowed his pace to match Sakura's, who seemed to want to travel more leisurely than he liked.

He took a moment to steal a furtive glance at her as they ran. She had hardly spoken two words to him, which wasn't exactly uncommon. She was Sasuke's teammate and he knew that for years she held an attraction for him. He had rebuffed her advances enough to end her pining, but Itachi noticed that both Sasuke and Sakura seemed a little at odds with one another recently.

Itachi wondered what might have happened between them. Since Sakura had begun her apprenticeship with Tsunade, Team 7 had not taken any missions together. Occasionally Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi would take a mission together, but never with Sakura.

Itachi had chalked that up to her being occupied at the hospital. She was an important figure there, he knew. She was the best medic nin Konoha (or likely, the entire shinobi world) had to offer. Of course she was probably stretched thin.

And now she was on a mission to cure an uppity feudal lord with an irksome arousal issue, so maybe he could understand her sour mood.

Still, Itachi didn't like to see her look so glum. It clashed with her pink hair.

"Are you feeling okay, Sakura-san?" he asked, peering at her through his dark lashes.

She tossed a glance his direction, her gaze harrowing and sharp. "I'm fine," she said with a curt nod and increased her speed.

Itachi pressed his lips together, annoyed.

For reasons that were obvious, the feudal lord did not want to be seen. Instead, Sakura and Itachi were greeted by his assistant, Mayeda.

"We are so glad you're both here," he said enthusiastically. "Iori-sama is in a lot of pain, as you may know. We're hoping you can get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

Itachi nodded politely, glancing around at the feudal lord's home. It seemed that Iori liked to live lavishly. There were plush carpets underfoot, vaulted ceilings, gold trim around every window and doorframe. Itachi could indulge in some hedonistic pleasures every now and then, but he felt that this was overdoing it a bit.

He glanced at Sakura to find that she had also wrinkled her nose in disdain at their gratuitous surroundings.

If Mayeda noticed he made no mention of it.

"Let me show you both to your rooms," he said.

Itachi had been under the impression that this mission would not take longer than the day, but he appreciated having a room nonetheless. Sakura, on the other hand, tapped her foot impatiently.

"If it's alright with you, Mayeda-san," she began, "I'd rather just go ahead and take a look at Iori-sama right now so I can fix him up and be on my way."

Mayeda paused, his eyes flitting between Sakura and Itachi.

"I apologize, Sakura-san," he said. "I was under the impression that the two of you would be conducting an investigation while you were here."

"Itachi-san does the investigation," she said curtly. "And I do the healing. So please, show me to Iori-sama."

The poor man looked incredibly nervous now for some reason, which intrigued Itachi. "He's in no condition to be seen right now," Mayeda said with a pleading note to his voice. "Maybe you can take a look at him after you've rested from your journey."

"Duh," she said with a roll of her eyes. Itachi felt she was being rude, but he said nothing. "That's what I'm here for. It was hardly even a trek, so please, let's just get on with it."

Mayeda's eyes widened and Itachi noticed his hands trembling.

"Is there some reason why she cannot see Iori-sama right now?" Itachi asked, finding the assistant's behavior to be odd.

Itachi caught Sakura's gaze – not quite a warning glare, but close enough to it to annoy Itachi. He supposed she didn't need his help.

"He is indisposed at the moment," Mayeda insisted. "He cannot be seen. However, Sakura-san, if you wish to review the details of the case with Itachi-san in the meantime, I'm sure we could get to the bottom of this quicker."

Sakura sighed, but nodded her agreement. Mayeda instantly looked relieved, which Itachi made a mental note of.

Mayeda led them through the house into a back room. It looked to be an office by the furniture – a heavy oak desk and several bookshelves. It was just as lavish as the rest of the house.

"You two are welcome to use this room during the investigation," Mayeda said. He gestured to the scrolls and papers on the desk. "Hopefully you will find all the information you need here."

Sakura fixed Mayeda with a stony glare, which he took as a sign to leave immediately.

When it was just the two of them left in the room, Itachi let his gaze settle on her. He did not know much about her aside from the obvious, but he could tell that her behavior was a little more cold than usual.

But he did not ask her about it again. Instead, he moved to the desk and began looking through the scrolls. After a beat, Sakura joined him, taking up some loose pages and flipping through them.

Most of the documents appeared to be food logs. Everything that Iori had eaten in the last week was written down and monitored. It seemed that the logs had been written by memory – most likely the kitchen staff's.

Nevertheless, Sakura and Itachi pored over each log, looking for discrepancies or anything of interest. After a minute or two of searching, Sakura tossed down the scroll in her hands with an audible huff.

"This would be much easier if I could just take a look at the moron," she said.

If she had been Sasuke, Itachi would have chided her for the remark. But in spite of himself he was only amused. In fact, he agreed with her.

But then he noticed something in the logs.

"Maybe you should take a look at this," he said to her. "It looks like once a month, Iori misses his dinner. It is not logged by the kitchen staff here."

Sakura moved to stand behind him to get a better look at the scroll in his hands. She leaned forward enough that Itachi could feel the tips of her hair against his shoulder. For a moment he thought he caught a faint whiff of freesia.

He tensed up immediately, confused and more than a little alarmed. Had Sakura been the one to leave those gifts? It seemed unlikely. She didn't seem to particularly enjoy his company, so why would she be leaving gifts on his doorstep?

"You're right," she said, oblivious to his confusion. "We should have a chat with the kitchen staff."

The kitchen staff was less than amenable. They each looked downright frightened that Sakura and Itachi were even asking them about Iori's eating habits, which Itachi found very concerning. Surely if Iori expected a thorough investigation he would have prepared his kitchen staff for questioning.

But in spite of Itachi's stoic demeanor and Sakura's ill temper, no one offered any information about why Iori skipped his dinner once a month.

"What do we do now?" Sakura asked once they had left the kitchens. She turned to him expectantly, and even though she now had more cause to be annoyed, her mood seemed to have improved.

"We should question Iori's family and closest staff," Itachi supplied. "Maybe they can give us some more clues."

Sakura nodded her agreement and Itachi watched the way her pink hair shook around her cheeks. She, unlike Ino, was not wearing any makeup and there was no blush on her cheeks at the moment.

Then she bit her lip and a look of apprehension marred her features. "I'm sorry for interrupting your flow here," she said. "I know the investigation is supposed to be your job."

Her apology surprised Itachi, who hadn't felt at all like she was a hindrance to his investigation. "I don't mind," he said.

"I think I could be of more help to you if I could just take a look at Iori already," she said. "It's really suspicious that he won't let me see him. He specifically requested me to come."

Itachi hadn't realized that. Sakura was the best medic a feudal lord could request, so it wasn't unusual per se. But it was certainly interesting.

He had just been about to comment on the peculiarity of Iori's unwillingness to see her when he heard a shout from the corridor to his left.

"Sakura-san, come quick!"

Sakura and Itachi turned to see Mayeda beckoning wildly at her from the end of the corridor. Quickly, they both ran to him to see what was the matter.

The closer they got, the louder the screams from what Itachi supposed were Iori's bedroom got. He was howling and roaring, noises that occasionally were muffled – likely from him rolling around on his bed.

Mayeda swung the door open for them, revealing Iori writhing in his canopied bed, cursing and spitting. He was stark naked and his arousal was in plain view as he tossed and turned. It was an angry and red erection and Itachi felt a twinge of sympathy for the man.

Sakura ran to his side, her hand glowing with green chakra. "Try to hold still," she said. "I'm going to help you."

Iori quieted down a bit, but Itachi could see his clenched teeth and the way his hands gripped the bed sheets tightly.

To his left, Itachi felt a hand grip his arm and attempt to push him out of the room.

"You shouldn't be in here," Mayeda said firmly, his own face as red as Iori's engorged member.

Itachi didn't like to be intimidating to those he was trying to help, but he narrowed his eyes at the man and let the tomoe of his Sharingan spin threateningly. Mayeda immediately released his arm and shrunk back into the room.

He returned to watching Sakura as she, well, did whatever it was she was doing. Iori seemed to calm down quite a bit under her soothing touch. He watched the blood drain from Iori's member with morbid fascination, but she didn't stop there. He couldn't quite tell what she was doing, but with his Sharingan he saw her chakra in his stomach and intestines, most like exploring and diagnosing.

After several moments Sakura looked up and caught Itachi's eye. She jerked her head toward the door. Itachi nodded in understanding and then left the room, standing just outside the doorway.

Mayeda followed him with a grim expression on his face. They stood together in an uncomfortable silence until Sakura exited the room and joined them.

"Mayeda-san," she said. "Where is Iori-sama's wife?"

"She's gone on a trip to the Land of Waves with her sister," he answered, bewildered by the question. "She should arrive back within a couple of days."

Sakura pressed her lips together in a thin line. Itachi noticed that she seemed to be displeased with this information.

"Is there something the matter?" Mayeda asked. "Is Iori-same going to be okay?"

"Everything is fine," she said. "I just need to confer privately with my partner for a moment."

Understanding his dismissal, Mayeda reentered Iori's bedroom, leaving the two of them alone in the corridor. Itachi waited for her to speak, watching her while she patted herself down, looking for something in one of her pockets.

When she found it, she held it up for him to inspect.

"A hair pin?"

"Yes, a hair pin," she said. "It was underneath his pillow."

Itachi furrowed his brow. He had not seen her find or pocket the pin. Even if he had, he failed to see the relevance of it. If he and his wife shared a bed, there was no reason why a hair pin was anything out of the ordinary, even if she had been gone away on a trip. Who knows how long the hair pin had been there?

"What do you make of this?" he asked, curious about her answer.

"Alone, not much," she answered. "But when I was diagnosing him I noticed that he has a sexually transmitted disease. Chlamydia. And it wasn't a poison that was in his system. It was sildenafil."

"Sildenafil?"

"A virility drug," she explained. "He had a massive amount of it in his system."

Itachi felt his mouth fall open and then quickly shut it. A virility drug?

"Are drugs like that easy to get a hold of?" he asked.

"They can be," she said. "This one, I think, can be obtained pretty easily. It isn't all that dangerous. For poor Iori, though… Well, let's just say that the combination of this drug and chlamydia is quite unpleasant."

"So can you heal him?"

"Already done," she said. "When he wakes, I'll advise him to refrain from sex for a couple of weeks and then he should be good as new."

Itachi blinked, but was pleased by her discoveries and progress. "You managed to heal him completely in your first session?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "He was hardly injured or sick," she answered. "Just an idiot. Now it looks like we've got a potential motive and suspect."

Again, Itachi blinked because this was really _his_ part of the mission now. "We do," he agreed. But now he was curious to see what else his little brother's teammate could do. "What do you think we should do next?"

She scowled at his question. Itachi took a step backwards, a little surprised that his well intended question had offended her.

"Are you patronizing me?" she demanded.

"Patronizing you…" he said slowly. "No, I'm not patronizing you. I hope nothing in my demeanor made you think that. You've made a good deal of progress with this investigation on your own, so naturally I was curious to see what your next step would be."

A furious blush rose in her cheeks. Her teeth clenched and she dropped her head forward, causing her hair to fall out from behind her ears and obstruct Itachi's view of her face.

"I apologize for offending you," he continued.

"I'm not offended," she insisted through gritted teeth. Itachi did not believe her. "My next step would be to find out who gave him chlamydia."

Itachi pondered this a moment. That would not have been his next step. Instead, he would have chosen to research where in this area someone could buy that virility drug.

But he also understood her line of reasoning. "That's why you wanted to speak to his wife?" he asked.

Her blush faded and she re-tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yes, if his wife was the one who did this, she likely has chlamydia, too. I would need to diagnose her to confirm that."

"She might still have been the culprit even if she did not have chlamydia."

"That's true," she agreed, though her tone was tense. "And she might not be the culprit at all. It could also have been a jealous mistress – the one who potentially gave him chlamydia."

"Those seem like the two most logical conclusions," Itachi said amenably.

He paused for a moment because he had been about to give her an order to follow up on her suggested next step while he did some research into the availability of the virility drug (sildenafil, was it?). But this was not a joint mission and he was not her captain.

However, she had already proved to be quite useful to have around and he wasn't ready to dismiss her just yet.

"Would you like to help me with this investigation?" he asked.

She blinked at him, her wide emerald eyes darkened by confusion and surprise. She gave him a once-over and Itachi forced himself not to wither under her scrutiny. He wasn't used to people behaving that way toward him. As the Uchiha heir he commanded respect from most people, and intimidated most others (even if he didn't mean to).

"Do you really need it?" she asked, something kin to amusement glittering in her eyes.

No, he didn't need it. He was more than capable of solving the case himself, especially now that she had narrowed down a few of the problems. But he did _want_ her help, and Itachi didn't usually want for things.

"No," he answered. "But I would appreciate it all the same."

Sakura smiled at him – a stark contrast to her behavior so far. The skin around her eyes crinkled and she tilted her head to the side. Itachi knew that for what it was. That was the same way she smiled at Sasuke before their falling out.

"Of course I'd be happy to help, Itachi-san."

He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

Luckily for Itachi, he did not need to give Sakura the order. Of her own volition she had bounded away to find out who had given Iori chlamydia. He had no idea how she would manage to do that, but she seemed to have something specific in mind when she left, so Itachi let her go without any questions.

As for his own research, Itachi had only a few places in mind to start. Konoha was a relatively short distance away, but if Iori had been getting virility drugs from there, Sakura would likely have known already.

So the first place on his list was the local pharmacy.

He entered the lobby and immediately felt very uncomfortable. Iori lived in a fairly small town, so the pharmacy was expectedly small. Quaint, even, he might have thought if he hadn't been concentrating so hard on keeping his cheeks from burning red.

There was a young woman at the counter, maybe a year or two younger than he was. She was flipping through the pages of a book until she heard the bell chime, indicating that there was a customer.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

Deciding that he might feel less awkward about this if he was more intimidating, Itachi activated his Sharingan. Of course he did not plan on using it, nor did he want to scare her. It was selfish and he knew it.

"Do you sell the drug sildenafil?"

She tapped her finger against her lips, muttering the word repeatedly as she tried to recall from memory whether or not they carried that particular drug. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest by his Sharingan and Itachi found that to be quite annoying.

"Let me look it up," she said. "I don't know off the top of my head."

She turned to what Itachi presumed was a directory of the drugs they carried and began to skim the pages.

"Aha," she said, stabbing her finger into a page. "We do carry it. It's prescription only, I'm afraid. Do you have a prescription?"

"I do not," he answered quickly.

She continued to look down at the directory for a moment, her eyes skimming the page for details Itachi did not want her to read.

"How easy would it be to get a prescription?" he asked, hoping to divert her attention away from the incriminating details.

She did not answer right away as she finished reading. After a second she looked back up at Itachi with rounded eyes that started innocently at his face before dipping down far lower than was appropriate.

Uncomfortably, Itachi shifted on his feet, waiting for her answer. He could feel heat rising in his cheeks, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"I don't think it would be hard to get a prescription," she said, the beginnings of a smirk playing at her lips. "Any physician would give you one without much fuss."

Itachi did not like her smirk or the way her eyes wandered over him with a trace of ill-natured humor.

"I will need you to supply me with a list of everyone who has a prescription for sildenafil at this pharmacy," he instructed, his tone brooking no room for argument.

She had the audacity to laugh at him. "I can't give out confidential information, sir," she said.

"I'm conducting an official investigation for Iori-sama," he said, narrowing his eyes at her and letting their tomoe spin. "I need that information."

"Well then I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting a warrant from Iori-sama," she said impudently.

Itachi pursed his lips in annoyance. Iori would not be willing to divulge any information about a potential affair and he certainly want to make it known if he had a prescription for a virility drug

He would have to sneak in later and retrieve the information when no one was around. He gave the girl one last glance before he turned on his heel and left.

Itachi's research showed that there were no other pharmacies close by. Unless it was obtained illegally, the only other place to get sildenafil was Konoha. He supposed that drugs could be made at home and that if someone were sharp enough they could create it without needing a prescription.

He made a mental note to ask Sakura about that when they next saw each other.

Coming up short on his own lead, Itachi decided it was probably best to help Sakura follow up on hers.

He returned to Iori's home and found the feudal lord still sleeping soundly in his bed. Mayeda stood outside his bedroom doorway, preventing Itachi from entering.

"Forgive me, Itachi-san," he said. "Sakura-san has asked that no one be allowed to see Iori-sama until she had a chance to check on him again."

If Itachi were the type to roll his eyes, he would have. Surely Itachi was an exception to that rule.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"I believe she is in the courtyard," he answered. "She has been gracious enough to offer to do physicals on the entire staff. Can you believe that? Iori-sama always harps that Konoha is filled with stodgy shinobi too proud for their own good, but that Sakura-san is a nice girl."

Itachi resisted the urge to let his eyebrows fly up in surprise. Sakura was kind, certainly, but she hadn't been too charming to Mayeda when they had first arrived. And it was even more surprising that she would offer her medical services for free to the staff. No, she had something else up her sleeve. He was sure of it.

He found her in the courtyard just as Mayeda had said, her hands placed on a servant girl's ribcage. Her green chakra emanated outward, creating an ethereal glow on her face. Other staff members were scattered about the courtyard, no doubt waiting for their turn.

"Itachi-san," she said, not bothering to look at him. "Did you find anything?"

"The local pharmacy sells sildenafil with a prescription," he answered. "And Konoha is the next closest place that would sell it."

Sakura glanced up at him for a moment but did not seem surprised. She continued to work without speaking to him and Itachi wondered if she wanted him to leave so she could work in peace.

But soon enough she finished up with the servant girl and gave her a pat on the knee. "You're all done, Akiko-chan," she said. "Fit as a fiddle."

The girl hopped up from the stone bench and gave Sakura a warm thanks. The next person in line quickly took her place. Itachi glanced back at the line and saw that there were easily thirty people in it. Would she seriously do this all day? What was the benefit to her? She must have known that she had an investigation to conduct.

"What's your name?" she asked the man.

"Takoru," he answered with a wide grin. "But you can call me Tako-kun."

Sakura laughed, but she did not reprimand him for his cheekiness. Instead she merely placed her hands on his chest and got to work.

"Sakura-san," Itachi began. "Do you think I could speak with you—"

"Hey, Itachi, why don't you go back up to the office and take another look at those food logs?" she said, cutting him off.

Itachi recoiled, more than a little annoyed that she had interrupted him and then given him an order. That was not the way this was going to work. He needed to speak with her to discuss their next step and he didn't like being brushed away like he was a child.

"I beg your pardon?"

Sakura removed her hands from the man's chest and turned to fix Itachi with an irate glare. "Fine," she said. "Let's go."

That was much easier than Itachi anticipated.

She turned back to Takoru and gave him a sweet smile. "Tako-kun," she said in a tone that was mostly joking but also a little flirtatious. "I'll be right back. You stay right here." She grazed her fingers across his forearm before standing up and following Itachi to the edge of the courtyard.

When they were a fair distance from the gathered staff and in the shade, Sakura's smile melted into a scowl.

"What's so important that you had to interrupt my work?" she demanded.

"I'd hardly consider this productive work," Itachi said. "It's great that you feel so generous as to give away free physicals, but are you forgetting about the investigation?"

Sakura was still for a moment, her breath held in her puffed up cheeks as she seemed to be gathering her patience. Itachi found this amusing in spite of his irritation.

"By doing the staff a favor they feel more inclined to give me information," she explained with a patronizing tone. "If I flirt and play with them they get comfortable and divulge things they probably shouldn't."

"Oh."

Itachi hadn't considered that. Not that Itachi didn't have his own brand of charm, but such a tactic would not work quite as easily for him as it did for her.

"And I've been checking each staff member to see if they have chlamydia."

Another 'oh' escaped his lips. It seemed that Sakura was more on top of things that he had thought. Maybe, he mused, he should turn the investigation over to her.

"Have you found any useful information?" he asked, careful to keep his tone neutral and authoritative. It wouldn't do for her to think she had the upper hand on him somehow.

"According to one of the servant girls, Iori goes fishing once a month," Sakura answered. "This is congruent with his food logs if he is catching his own dinner on that day."

Itachi's brow furrowed as he mulled over this new information. It certainly made sense that Iori would be missing his dinner for such a reason, but Itachi found it hard to believe that a feudal lord that lived in such a lavish home would enjoy a hobby as rustic as fishing.

"Maybe you could ask him where he goes fishing?" Sakura ventured. "He might be a bit more forthcoming with you."

Itachi didn't think so, but he definitely planned on asking Iori a few questions.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea."

Sakura beamed at him, clearly pleased that he had agreed to do what she asked. Itachi felt a bubble of something warm rise in his chest and he coughed uncomfortably.

"Are you alright?" she asked, a brow quirked. He noticed a surge of chakra in her hands – healing chakra. She made no move toward him, but he knew that if he only confirmed that he was feeling ill that her hands would be on his chest in seconds.

"Yes, I'm fine," he answered brusquely. "I'll let you get back to your business."

She eyed him skeptically, but returned to the bench where Takoru was waiting for her.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Itachi rolled back on his heels and then forward again. Iori was sprawled out on his bed in a most undignified fashion and Itachi wondered why the man would be so concerned about being seen in his aroused state and yet didn't have a sense of decorum enough to sit up when Itachi entered the room.

"I don't for a minute believe that you go fishing once a month," Itachi said patiently. "I'd wager that you've never even held a fishing pole."

Iori swallowed a lump in his throat and pulled his duvet tighter around his neck. It was a comical sight, really – a feudal lord cowering in his bed after being caught in a lie.

"So I'll ask you again," Itachi said. "Where is it that you actually go once a month?"

Seeming to have gained a little resolve, Iori sat up abruptly, his eyes lit with annoyance. "It's a personal matter," he said fiercely. "You have no right to ask about such things."

"Do you want us to catch the person who did this to you?"

"Of course. That's why I asked for you."

Itachi took in a deep breath. He thought back to the mission file. Sakura had been specifically requested, no doubt due to her expertise with medicine. Itachi, however, had merely been available for the mission. There had been no special requests for a shinobi to investigate.

"Your dishonesty will hurt the investigation," Itachi explained. "If you withhold information or lie to me, you might as well just send us back to Konoha. We'll be of no help to you that way."

Iori said nothing and Itachi noticed the tight clench of his jaw. After several moments of silence, Itachi conceded.

"Very well," he said. "Sakura and I will be on our way by this afternoon."

It was truly of no consequent to Itachi whether or not he solved this case. He wasn't particularly invested in learning the truth. His impatience and annoyance with Iori almost made him want to congratulate the perpetrator.

But he knew a vengeful man like Iori would want to bring justice on whoever had done this to him. So Itachi was not surprised when he heard Iori's meek voice calling after him while he made his way toward the bedroom door.

"I go to a brothel," he said when Itachi had turned back to face him. "Once a month I go to the brothel just east of here."

Itachi was not surprised. "I presume your wife does not know?"

"I don't believe she does."

Itachi had qualms about that. If she _did_ know and she kept that knowledge a secret, it was likely that she was the one who had done this to him.

"And the woman you're seeing at the brothel," Itachi ventured. "Does she know you are married?"

Iori's face dropped into a deep scowl. "Haven't you asked enough questions?"

"Perhaps she is the one who did this to you."

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Iori had been about to say. Without waiting to hear an answer, Sakura entered the room. She looked vaguely disappointed and Itachi could sense that her chakra level had lowered significantly since he'd left her in the courtyard.

"Iori-sama. Itachi-san."

"Sakura-chan, maybe you have made a little more progress than Itachi has," Iori said audaciously. "I hope your investigative skills are as good as your medical skills. Or at the very least better than Itachi's"

Itachi was accustomed to Iori's rude behavior and didn't think much of the slight, though he was mildly annoyed by it. Sakura, however, did not seem to enjoy Iori's affectionate suffix or the way his eyes lingered on her bare legs.

Before she could say or do anything that could get her into trouble, Itachi motioned for the door and briskly exited the room, hoping she would follow.

"We're taking our leave now, Iori-sama," Itachi said from the doorway. "You've given us a new lead to follow up on."

Sakura's hip was cocked out and her hand rested on it in a pose that Itachi was sure could only mean trouble. Sensing that she was about to sass Iori, Itachi grabbed her wrist and yanked her through the doorway.

When the door was shut, Sakura turned that pose in Itachi's direction, a fuming look on her face. "What the hell, Itachi? I was just about to give him a piece of my mind."

"He undeniably deserves it," Itachi said in an effort to appease her. "But it would be counterproductive. He's already withholding information from us. If you piss him off it will only hinder the investigation further."

For a moment Itachi thought she might argue with him, but after a second she nodded in agreement. "Okay," she said. "What was that lead you were talking about?" 

"Iori was not going fishing once a month. He was going to a brothel," Itachi explained. "So I believe that the perpetrator may have been either his wife or the woman he has been seeing at the brothel."

"What a scumbag."

Itachi was inclined to agree.

"Did you discover anything useful from the staff?"

Sakura shrugged. "Not really," she said. "Though it is abundantly clear that the majority of the staff does not like Iori at all."

"Hard to believe," Itachi said sarcastically. Sakura laughed and Itachi felt that warm bubble in his chest again. "So none of them had chlamydia, I presume."

"Correct," she supplied. "But I think it's easy enough to assume where he got it from at this point."

"I think it's time we pay the brothel a visit."

Brothels were a disgusting place, Itachi thought, and it was with great disdain that he entered the filthy establishment with Sakura close on his heels.

It was dark inside, and even though it was only late afternoon, there were already many patrons filling the booths. Scantily clad women flitted from booth to booth, offering drinks, food, and other services.

Sakura approached the brothel's front counter, eyeing the plump woman behind it with some skepticism.

"Wait," Itachi called behind her, tugging on her vest. "I doubt they will be forthcoming with information here. We're going to have to do a little sleuthing."

She wrinkled her nose at him, extricating herself from his grasp. "Okay, but if you're as handsy with these ladies as you are with me they might kick you out."

Itachi felt his cheeks warm, but he kept his expression carefully neutral. "I apologize, Sakura-san."

To his surprise she grinned at him. "I'm just messing with you," she said. Itachi did not spend enough time with Sakura to know whether or not that was normal from her. He couldn't recall ever seeing her act that way with Sasuke or Naruto before.

He followed her to a booth in the back and sat down across from her. She stood out like a sore thumb in the brothel – her pink hair like a beacon. Distantly, Itachi also noted that she was far more attractive than most of the women working.

"I have an idea," Sakura said, glancing around the room before settling her eyes on Itachi's face. "When one of the women approaches you, you can interrogate her to see what she knows about Iori. While you're doing that, I'll sneak behind the counter and try to get a look at the ledger to see which woman Iori is seeing. We can compare the ledger with the food logs to see which night he came and which woman he was sleeping with."

That was a solid plan, Itachi thought. However, the person who first approached their booth was definitely male and definitely looking at Sakura rather than Itachi.

"Hey princess," he said to her, completely ignoring Itachi's presence. Though he ordinarily would have found that annoying, he was quite content to watch how Sakura would handle this without his intervention.

The man was objectively attractive and probably would have had no trouble finding a woman he would not have to pay to sleep with. He was likely drawn to Sakura's exotic pink hair. His own hair was blonde and he had honey colored eyes to match.

"I haven't seen you here before," he said, eyeing her up and down. Sakura's expression was neutral, which Itachi was grateful for. She didn't need to be calling more attention to herself than she already had. "And I would definitely remember you."

She didn't respond, merely giving him a cool gaze as she waited for what he would inevitably say next.

"What's your price?"

Itachi had never been mistaken by a prostitute before so he couldn't say whether or not he would be offended. Naturally he assumed that Sakura would be, but if she was then she made no indication of it.

"You can't afford me," she said dismissively.

"Come on, baby," he pleaded. Itachi hated his whining tone. "I know what girls like you like. I can pleasure you in every way possible."

Itachi grimaced, disgusted on her behalf.

"Can't you see I'm with someone?"

The man turned to look at Itachi, blinking in surprise as he realized for the first time that there was, in fact, another person in the booth with her. He eyed Itachi with contempt.

"I'll double whatever he's paying you," he insisted.

"He isn't paying me. Not with money, anyway," she said, giving Itachi a saucy wink.

Itachi was too stunned to blush.

The man was not impressed. "He hardly looks like he knows his way around a woman's body. Trust me, I can make you feel real good."

Sakura let her eyes wander over him for a second, perhaps pretending to consider his request. But then, to Itachi's surprise, she acquiesced. "Okay, I'll make a deal with you," she said. "I'm not looking for money, but there is something that I want."

The man sat down in the booth next to her, a little to close for Itachi's liking. But Sakura leaned into his touch, pressing his fingertips into his forearm and smiling warmly at him.

"What is it?" he asked, breathless by her proximity.

"Do you know Iori-sama?"

"The feudal lord? Of course."

"He frequents this brothel," Sakura supplied. Itachi didn't feel comfortable with where this was going. She didn't plan on divulging pertinent information about the investigation, did she? "I need to know what he's up to here. Do you think you could get me a copy of the brothel's ledger?"

"In exchange for…?"

"One night with me."

He paused, considering this. "How do I know you won't bail on me after I snatch the ledger?"

With no hesitation, Sakura leaned in a pressed her lips to his. He was surprised enough to reel backwards a couple of inches, but it only took a second for him to adjust. His hands flew up to Sakura's face. He held her face against his, kissing her far more intimately than anyone should be doing in public view. Sakura allowed it, much to Itachi's displeasure, and he felt nausea brewing in the pit of his stomach.

He finally pulled away from her with a wide grin. "You've got yourself a deal, princess."

"It's Tsumi," she said, giving him a fake name.

"Saito," he replied, extending his hand to her. She shook it firmly and then he quickly exited the booth. Sakura watched him walk past Itachi and up to the front counter.

Then she turned her gaze back to Itachi with a smirk playing on her lips. "Looks like I won't have to do any sneaking after all," she said.

Itachi was floored. He had never considered utilizing a person the way she just had. He didn't feel like he could pull something like that off. Sakura was a fine actress. He looked at her with renewed curiosity. Her lips were still wet with Saito's spit and Itachi wanted to pass her a napkin to wipe it off with.

But she wiped her mouth with the back of her arm a second later, and Itachi was content to see that she was grimacing with disgust.

"You don't plan on actually sleeping with him, do you?" he asked.

"Hell, no," she said. "Do you plan on sleeping with a prostitute?"

"I highly doubt that will be necessarily," he said. "And I'd like to avoid getting chlamydia if I can."

She laughed, amused by his serious tone.

"Well, you can't avoid talking to one, so I suggest you get going."

Without showing his hesitation outwardly, Itachi stood up and surveyed the room. There were plenty of women (girls, really) that were unoccupied, lurking in corners and waiting to see what rich looking man would walk in.

But he couldn't just pick any other them. He needed one who would be willing to share information with him. He didn't have a lot of experience with prostitutes, but he assumed that most wouldn't want to talk about their other clients.

So while he felt uncomfortably predatory in doing do, Itachi singled out a young girl, probably only fourteen or fifteen, standing near an empty booth. She didn't look out of place there and she didn't seem unhappy. She was watching the door, facing away from Itachi as he approached.

He purposefully made his footsteps loud so that she would hear him. She turned her face toward him and smiled when she saw him looking at her.

"Hi," she said demurely, but flirtatiously.

"Hi," he said, hoping his tone was warm and friendly. He extended a hand to her politely, which she took with a giggle. "Do you have a moment to spare for me?"

"Of course."

He gestured toward the booth next to her. She raised a confused eyebrow at him.

"A booth?" she asked. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable in a private room?"

Itachi suspected that he would be _less_ comfortable in a private room, but he didn't say as much to her. "This is perfect for now," he insisted.

She seemed to be okay with that and sat down across from him. "My name is Eika," she said. "I've never seen you here before. We don't often get strangers in here."

"Eika-san," Itachi repeated, smiling at her. "That's a lovely name. Tell me, Eika-san, why don't you get many strangers here?"

She waved her hand flippantly and then leaned forward on her elbows, her eyes glittering. "Being so close to the feudal lord's home makes this place a bit risky, you know?" she said. "This line of work is so frowned upon. No one wants to risk being seen here so close to someone as dignified as Iori-sama."

Itachi nearly snorted.

"Then why work here?" he asked. "Surely there is another brothel in a less conspicuous place for you to work at."

She interlocked her fingers and rested her chin on her hands. "Being so close to Iori-sama does have its advantages," she said. "He and his staff are generous tippers."

"Iori-sama comes here himself?" Itachi asked, feigning surprise. "But doesn't he have a wife?"

Eika laughed. "I'm sure many of our patrons have wives," she said. "That doesn't mean they don't need a bit of feminine attention now and again."

Itachi leaned back into the supple leather behind him. It seemed that even if Iori was trying to keep his affiliation with this establishment a secret in his own home, he didn't care if people here knew that he was here often. He and his staff had a reputation for being generous tippers. Did that mean some of his staff accompanied him here? Would they not have contracted chlamydia as well?

He glanced back at Sakura, who was still sitting in her booth alone. She was watching him with a highly amused look on her face. She told him that none of the staff she diagnosed had chlamydia. That was suspicious, Itachi thought.

"What about you?" Eika asked. "Do you need a little bit of feminine attention?" She had softened her gaze and dropped one of her hands down to the table to cover Itachi's. He resisted the urge to pull his hand away.

Deciding to cut right to the chase, Itachi fixed her with a determined look. "Is Iori-sama one of your clients?" he asked.

She pursed her lips and interlaced her fingers with his. Itachi felt a weird tingling sensation in his scalp. He had never held a girl's hand like this before and he wasn't sure that it was supposed to feel this way – almost electric. "You don't want to talk about my other clients, do you?" she asked.

"Please," he said. "I want to know."

"Would you think less of me if he was?"

She was pouting, probably thinking he would reject her. Of course he planned on 'rejecting' he anyway. He had no intention of sleeping with a prostitute, let alone one who was still basically a child. But what kind of fool would come in to a brothel expecting to find a virginal prostitute? Did she think he would want her to have never had sex before?

"Of course not," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "If you are good enough for Iori-sama, then you are certainly good enough for me."

She laughed boisterously and squeezed his hand. "Well in that case I feel no shame in telling you that he _is_ one of my clients," she said.

Itachi sharpened his gaze on her. Could she have been the one to poison him? She didn't seem like the type to do such a thing, but Itachi knew well that looks could be deceiving.

"I imagine you must be quite special to him, then," he said carefully.

"Hardly," she said with another laugh. "You'd be hard pressed to find a single girl here who hasn't had Iori-sama as a client."

"Is that so?" Itachi asked, not surprised, but a little alarmed by the news. Was Iori spreading STD's around?

"Yes," Eika said solemnly. "He specifically likes the younger girls."

"Like you?"

"Oh no," she said. "Like Yuki and Tomaru. They are both only twelve. He also likes Mitsue and Sugai even though they are thirteen."

Itachi tasted bile in the back of his throat. Before he could respond to that horrendous new information, he heard a yelp from behind him. He turned to see Sakura and Saito both standing next to the booth, Saito holding his right hand close to his chest.

"You little bitch!" he yelled.

Itachi saw him reach up to grab her throat and before skin could contact skin, Itachi was standing between them, his fingers wrapped tightly around the man's wrist. Saito jerked his hand away and took a step backwards. He couldn't have known that Sakura was a kunoichi – only an idiot would have provoked her otherwise.

But he was certainly smart enough to realize that he didn't want to provoke the red-eyed man in front of him now.

"You two were conspiring together from the start," Saito accused. "You just wanted me to do your dirty work."

All eyes in the brothel were glued to Itachi and Sakura. Itachi glanced back at her and found her motioning toward the door. Quickly, Itachi fished into his pocket and retrieved some money. Before Saito could attempt anything else, Itachi returned to Eika's booth and dropped the money on the table.

"Thank you for the conversation," he said. "I'll come back to visit you again, Eika-san."

Eika's wide eyes darted between him and Sakura, who was close on Itachi's heels. Before she could utter her gratitude, Itachi and Sakura were already out the door. Itachi could hear Saito yelling after them.

"I could have handled him, you know," Sakura said as they made their way back to Iori's home. "It's not like he was a shinobi or anything."

"I know," he said. "It was just an instinct."

"At least I got the ledger, though," she said with a triumphant grin. She held up the ledger for Itachi to see before folding it and tucking it into her pocket. "What about you? Did you get anything from Eika-chan?"

Itachi cast her an annoyed look. He slowed down until he came to a complete stop. "Yes, I did," he said. "Before we go back I should tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That brothel has child prostitutes as young as twelve," he said. "Those are the ones that Iori favors."

Itachi heard Sakura gasp and he watched her turn back to look at the brothel. "They didn't look that young," she murmured. "What are we going to do? We can't allow this to continue."

"I agree," he said. "We should report back to Tsunade-sama and see what she suggests we do. We need to go back to Konoha anyway. There isn't anything more we can do today."

Sakura still had a pained expression on her face as she stared back at the brothel. "I don't want to leave them there…"

"I don't either."

"So let's go back and get them."

Itachi understood where she was coming from, but that wasn't feasible. Even though Itachi didn't like to think about it, what they were doing was hardly any better than having children become shinobi.

"If we go back now we risk angering Iori," Itachi said. "He's paying for this mission and he's a feudal lord. We should confer with Tsunade-sama before we make any decisions."

Reluctantly, Sakura agreed.

"As for the investigation," Itachi continued, "Eika implied that Iori had fraternized with most of the girls in the brothel. That makes our list of suspects a lot larger."

"Quite frankly, I don't give a fuck about Iori."

Itachi smiled, but it was a grim one. "Don't worry, Sakura," he said. "We will get this resolved."


	2. Chapter 2

"You mean to tell me Iori is part of a child prostitution ring?"

"Based on our investigation, I believe he may have been a client but that someone else is leading the operation," Itachi answered.

Itachi felt Sakura's eyes on him as he spoke.

"Then I imagine that has something to do with his little 'poison' issue," Tsunade said. "I can't say I blame whoever did this to him."

Tsunade turned her eyes to Sakura. Itachi noted that her gaze softened as it settled on her apprentice. "Did you heal him?"

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou," she said. "He had chlamydia and I healed that, too."

Tsunade winced. "So he's spreading chlamydia around to a bunch of kids? What a piece of shit. Okay, we'll definitely have to do something about this. Change of plans," she said.

Itachi straightened his back and squared his shoulders, awaiting her next order.

"The political situation here is a bit sticky," Tsunade said. "We can't just remove a feudal lord without good cause and because child prostitution is legal, we have no grounds to dismiss him – not without upsetting the other feudal lords."

"So he's just going to get away with it?" Sakura asked. Itachi sneaked a glance at her and saw that her face was held in a deep scowl and her hands were shaking.

"That's not what I said," Tsunade replied. "Our first order of business will be to shut down the brothel. It won't do for those children to continue going through that abuse if we can help it."

"What about the investigation?" Itachi asked. "Iori will be expecting us to catch the perpetrator."

"And what about the women in the brothel?" Sakura asked before Tsunade could respond. "What will they do without jobs or a place to live?"

Tsunade frowned, flitting her gaze between Sakura and Itachi. "Itachi, you will continue the investigation. Even if I agree that Iori deserved it, we still are being paid to catch the criminal, so it must be done," she said. "As for the women in the brothel, Sakura, we can let them use the refugee housing here until we find another more suitable alternative."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Itachi said, giving her a curt nod.

Sakura made a noise of disapproval.

"Something wrong with my plan, Sakura?"

"No, Tsunade-shishou."

"Good," she said with finality. "Then tomorrow morning you'll both go back to Iori's home. Itachi will continue the investigation. Sakura, you will begin diagnosing and healing any STD's the women might have. I don't want them spreading it around once they get here."

Itachi glanced as Sakura again. She did not look happy with this news.

"Tsunade-sama, if I may…" Itachi said. He waited until Tsunade's eyes fell expectantly on him before he continued. "I'd like for Sakura to continue helping me with the investigation."

Tsunade waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Yeah, sure," she said. "She'll already be there anyway – might as well make good use of her."

Itachi didn't look at Sakura, afraid of what he might see on her face. Her penchant for angry outbursts was not unknown to him and though it hadn't been his intention to provoke her by asking Tsunade for her help, he was aware that it was a possibility.

"Alright, both of you go home and get some sleep," Tsunade said. "You're dismissed."

When they made it outside to Hokage tower, Sakura predictably whirled on him, fixing him with a steady gaze. Itachi was pleased to note that she did not look angry with him.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded.

"I apologize," he said. "I should have asked you first, but you've been a great deal of help with the investigation and I think you can offer a fresh perspective on things."

"Aren't you used to working alone?"

The truth was that Itachi _was_ used to working alone. He had only spent a brief amount of time with his genin team before he had been promoted and whisked away into ANBU. Sure, he had been able to work well with his ANBU teammates, but they were ever-changing and usually just as reserved as he was. It might as well have been working alone.

The only other person he worked well with was Shisui. Itachi would still occasionally take missions with Shisui, but for the most part, they both preferred to take solo missions. Stealth was Itachi's forte and it was a lot easier to be stealthy when he worked alone.

That didn't mean that Itachi was immune to the effects of working alone constantly.

"I am," he answered, "But that doesn't mean I can't work with a partner."

A flicker of pity flashed in Sakura's face and it made Itachi's chest feel tight. He was grateful when the expression disappeared quickly and was replaced with a smile.

"You enjoy working with me?" she asked, looking far too amused.

"You are clever and resourceful," he answered honestly. "You seem to have an aptitude for investigation, though I'm sure you are mostly assigned to medical missions. It's a waste of your talents."

"Medical ninjutsu _is_ my talent," she replied firmly, but not angrily. "So it's not a waste to send me on medical missions."

"I didn't mean to imply that," he said. "Your medical skills coupled with your investigative skills definitely make you a formidable shinobi. Not to mention your chakra control and enhanced strength. You should consider joining ANBU. I would not mind having you on my team."

To Itachi's great amusement, Sakura's cheek bloomed with heat. For someone with an honorable position under the Hokage, she seemed far too modest about her own skills.

"I'm not sure I would be a good fit for ANBU," she said.

Itachi nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are a little brash sometimes," he said. "That's not a common quality in ANBU members, though it shouldn't hinder someone like you from joining anyway."

"Someone like me?" she asked fiercely, her eyes blazing.

"You are quick to anger, which can be dangerous in that line of work," he said. "Even though I don't think you were unjustly angry in any of the situations I've seen you in so far, I think you could stand to learn a bit more patience."

She pressed her lips together, exercising a bit of that elusive patients. "Okay, well, thanks for the career and personality analysis," she said bitterly. "I'll see you in the morning, Itachi-san."

With that, she was off, jumping along the rooftops. He watched her silhouette until she was no longer visible.

Though he hadn't meant to offend her, he knew that such comments were likely to rile her up. If he was honest with himself, he could admit that he enjoyed the exchange. The Uchiha family was not a particularly emotive bunch and Sakura's vehemence was refreshing.

By the time Itachi had returned to the Uchiha compound, the sky was dark and he could hear crickets chirping in the grass alongside the road. When he arrived at his front door, he noticed another package wrapped in the same brown paper.

He picked it up and inspected it. This one was much larger than the previous one. His name was scrawled across the top in generic handwriting that he did not recognize. He tore into the paper and found red fabric underneath. He carefully unfolded it and found that it was a high collared shirt like the others that he wore. The Uchiha fan was emblazoned on the back, except the top half of it was navy instead of red, presumably in contrast the to red color of the shirt.

Itachi was grateful that whoever had left it here for him wasn't here to see him open it. He wasn't exactly fond of it. Red was not a color he would have chosen to wear – it was much too ostentatious. The inversion of the colors seemed a bit strange to him. Who could have given him this?

He fished into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. Would this mysterious gift giver give him an entire outfit?

He kicked open the door and set the gifts aside. He would look into that some more later. Now he was tired and hungry.

He found Sasuke in the kitchen, standing at the stove and watching a pot of soup boiling.

"You're cooking?" Itachi asked, bemused. "I'm not sure I've ever seen you attempt to cook anything before."

"You and Mother were gone and I was hungry," he said. "But now that you're here you can finish."

"I see," Itachi said with a touch of humor. "I guess that's all I'm good for."

Itachi gently shoved Sasuke away from the stove and took over stirring the soup. Sasuke took a seat at the table and watched.

"Where are Mother and Father?" Itachi asked. "It's late. They should be home by now."

"They went out to eat," Sasuke answered. Itachi tossed a glance at his brother. His relationship with Sasuke had morphed over the last year. When he had been younger, Itachi tended to push Sasuke away. He had been too focused on his ANBU duties to spend time with him. Now that he had started taking fewer missions, they had begun to grow closer. They had even taken a few missions together.

"Did you find out who left you that food?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi shook his head. "No, but whoever was also left two other packages – a necklace and a shirt," he said.

"Sounds like you've got a secret admirer," Sasuke said. "How annoying."

Itachi frowned. He didn't think it was annoying that he had a secret admirer. He did find it annoying that he didn't know who it was, though.

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Sasuke asked.

"Like what?" Itachi asked, turning down the heat on the eye and giving the soup another quick stir.

"Like try to figure out who it is."

Itachi ladled the soup into two bowls and set one down in front of Sasuke before sitting down across from him with his own bowl. "I don't have time for that right now," Itachi said. "I've got other things on my mind."

"Oh, yeah," Sasuke said, slurping his soup. "You have a mission, don't you? How is that going?"

"I was hoping to have the whole thing resolved by the end of today, but Sakura and I hit a bit of a hiccup," Itachi answered. "I imagine it will take a few days more at the least."

"Sakura?"

"Yes, part of the mission was medical in nature and she was specifically requested by the client."

"That sucks."

Itachi swallowed his mouthful of soup and raised a brow at his brother. "Why does it suck?" he asked.

"Because she's annoying."

"You only think she's annoying because she used to have a crush on you," Itachi replied. "She's been a huge help with this mission."

Sasuke gave him a skeptical look.

"It's true," Itachi insisted, slurping down the last bit of his soup. "I requested her help for the rest of the mission even though her part is complete."

It was Sasuke's turn to raise his brow. "Why?"

"You're not observant enough if you really need to ask that question," Itachi said with a smile. He took his bowl to the sink and rinsed it out.

"Whatever," Sasuke said, following behind Itachi with his bowl. "But if I were you, I'd watch out for her."

Itachi shook his head with amusement.

The next morning Itachi met Sakura at the village gates with breakfast. Even though he didn't quite feel guilty about what he had said to her, he did want to appease her. It wouldn't do for her to be upset with him.

She had eyed him warily when he passed her the steaming bento box, but eventually she could no longer resist the appealing smell and she tucked in as they ran. Itachi didn't understand how she could eat like that while she was running, but he was happy that she was enjoying it.

By the time they arrived at Iori's house, Sakura seemed to have forgotten that she had ever been upset. She was smiling and had a pep in her step when she knocked on Iori's bedroom door.

Mayeda let them enter without fuss this time. Iori was dressed in his nightclothes still and was tucked away in his bed as if he had been ill instead of just aroused. Itachi felt a twinge of annoyance looking at him like that, so completely self centered and lazy.

"Good morning, Iori-sama," Sakura said cheerily. "I trust you slept well."

Both Iori and Itachi eyed her with skepticism.

"As well as can be expected," he said. "Any further news with the investigation?"

Sakura glanced at Itachi.

"Not yet," Itachi answered for her. "But we do have a list of suspects that we will be talking to today."

"My wife should be arriving home sometime this afternoon so I'll need your discretion," Iori said tersely. "I was hoping you'd have this done by yesterday. I requested the top shinobi and at the price I'm paying, you should have found the guilty party by now."

Itachi's eyes narrowed and for a brief moment he understood exactly why Sakura had felt so volatile toward this man.

"Now, now, Iori-sama," Sakura said, bringing his hands to his chest. "Itachi-san is one of Konoha's best shinobi. He is more than capable of handling this investigation. Chiding him won't get you what you want any faster." Itachi watched her chakra seep into his chest. It appeared to have a soothing effect on him.

But that didn't stop him from replied indignantly. "I beg your pardon?" he said. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

Sakura smiled a sickly sweet and quite obviously fake smile. "A man used to always having things his way?"

Iori looked furious and Itachi felt the need to step in and prevent whatever was about to go down, but then Iori's expression slacked and his body went limp. His eyes darted between Sakura and Itachi so Itachi knew he was still conscious. Itachi looked at Sakura sharply. This would get them into a lot of trouble.

"Listen to me, Iori-sama," Sakura said in a no-nonsense voice. "In addition to your arousal issue, you also contracted an STD – chlamydia. You said your wife will be back today. Does she know about that?"

Sakura released whatever jutsu had been paralyzing him. He sat up, his expression a mixture of fear and fury.

"Are you threatening me?" he demanded.

"Threatening you?" she scoffed. "What good what it do to threaten you? We are only here to get to the bottom of this."

"Get out," he said through clenched teeth.

Itachi glanced nervously at Sakura. This was precisely what he had admonished her for the night before – her brashness. This was not going to go over well with Tsunade or the other feudal lords.

Sakura looked like she was about to defy him again, but Itachi grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the room quickly. Mayeda stood by the door and was peering at them curiously as they passed, but Itachi paid him no attention. Sakura yanked her arm away from him.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked.

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" he echoed.

She huffed and crossed her arms, jerking her head toward the courtyard where they could speak more privately. Once they were out of Mayeda's earshot, Sakura turned on him.

"Why'd you drag me out of there?" she asked.

"You just threatened a feudal lord," he said, and even though he felt quite angry with her, he kept his tone neutral. "You jeopardized our mission. You risked the wrath of the other feudal lords – the distrust of Konoha."

"If anyone is untrustworthy it's Iori," she bit out.

"You know I agree, Sakura," he said. "But you can't just go around threatening feudal lords."

"Fuck Iori."

Itachi glared at her, watching the heat in her cheeks and the blaze in her eyes. She was stubborn and foolish, he thought, and he regretted asking Tsunade to let her help with the investigation.

But it was too late to do anything about that. And the most important thing was to get the children in the brothel to safety. Sakura was the right person for that job, so Itachi still needed her.

"Fine," he said. "What do you suggest we do next?"

"Well, I don't know about you," she said, the redness in her face beginning to fade. "But I'm going to the brothel to help those girls."

Itachi nodded.

Itachi had watched Sakura leave the courtyard to go to the brothel and he was immensely relieved to no longer be around her. She had let her emotions get in the way and now the relationship with Konoha and Fire Country's feudal lords could be strained.

It wasn't as though he couldn't understand her frustration. Did she think that Itachi was complacent about Iori frequenting child prostitutes? He wanted justice just as much as she did. But there was a right and wrong way to go about things.

All he could do now was finish his mission to the best of his abilities.

He decided to shift his focus to finding the culprit. That would be much harder to do once the brothel was closed. So instead, he headed for the brothel, hoping to interrogate some of the other women and see what he could find out.

He could sense Sakura somewhere in the building when he arrived, but she was nowhere in sight. He glanced around the main lobby, looking for Eika. He found her sitting in a booth alone as most of the other women were. It was a little early in the day for customers.

He started to make his way over to her, but before he reached her booth he was stopped by another woman.

"Hello," she purred. Itachi tried to soften his gaze on her so he would not seem so intimidating.

"Hi."

"You looking for a good time?" she asked. Itachi took in the sight of her – her dark her, darker eyes. She was voluptuous and pale, her lips painted cherry red. She appeared older than some of the other girls, probably in her twenties at least. Itachi found that somewhat comforting.

"Just conversation," he said.

She laughed and touched his arm softly. "Just conversation, eh?" she asked. "Why don't we grab a booth, then?"

Itachi nodded and followed her to a booth. She reached down to grab his hand and he let her. When they were seated, she fixed him with a sultry gaze before looking away demurely. Itachi knew it was only an act, but he felt a twinge of heat in his stomach.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Itachi."

"Itachi," she repeated. "What brings a handsome man like you to a place like this, Itachi-san?"

"I'm looking for some information about your clients," he answered.

"I see," she said good-naturedly. "So are you a shinobi? You have the look of a shinobi."

"Yes," he answered. "I am. I'm interested in learning more about the girls that Iori-sama has been seeing."

"Iori-sama?" she asked. "You aren't trying to get me into trouble, are you?"

"Why would you get into trouble?"

"Iori-sama is a secretive man," she answered. "I wouldn't want to incur his wrath by speaking about his private matters. With a shinobi, nonetheless."

"Iori-sama hired me to investigate a criminal matter," Itachi answered. "It seems that he has been poisoned. I'm trying to locate the culprit."

"Poison, you say?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. She didn't seem surprised by the information. Her gaze seemed colder now, but Itachi had to admit that she did a good job of keeping a neutral face.

"Yes, not a serious case, thankfully," he said. "Konoha's top medic was able to assist him and he is fine now."

"That's good to hear."

"Do you know of anyone who might have held a grudge against Iori-sama?" Itachi asked. "Someone who might have wanted revenge?"

"There are many people who don't like Iori-sama," she said. "Especially here. But I don't think anyone here would have intentionally poisoned him. Perhaps I shouldn't be so forthcoming with this information, but drug use within the brothel is rampant. If he was poisoned, it might have been his own doing – mixing drugs that should not be mixed."

"Drugs?" Itachi asked, his curiosity piqued. "What sort of drugs?"

"Opiates, psychoactives, hallucinogens," she said. "Even performance enhancing drugs. In addition to alcohol of course. Most of our customers come here to escape reality. It's not too surprising, really."

"Performance enhancing drugs?" he asked. "You mean like sildenafil?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Who supplies these drugs?"

The woman laughed and gave Itachi a disbelieving look. "You'll have to speak to the madam about that," she said. "But I doubt she would answer such probing questions from a shinobi."

"I suppose you're right," he said. "But you've been helpful enough. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me."

"Well, it is my job," she said with a wink.

"Do you mind if I ask a few more questions?"

She shrugged indifferently.

"Is Iori-sama one of your clients?"

"I've had Iori-sama in my bed before, but he's not one of my regulars," she said. "He prefers the younger girls."

"Was he taking any kind of drugs while you were with him?"

"Oh, sure," she said. "He only comes once a month, but he will take many of the girls within the short time he's here. In order to do that he takes sildenafil between each girl. He doesn't typically take any other drugs, though he does drink alcohol."

Itachi took a deep breath while he pondered this. It was likely that Iori actually _did_ do it to himself if he was taking sildenafil that often. But if that was the case, then surely he would have known that there was no real culprit. Why would he hire shinobi to investigate if he had done this to himself?

"One last question, if I may," Itachi said. He waited until she nodded her approval before he continued. "Do you enjoy your time with Iori-sama? Is he kind to you?"

"He is no worse than any other customer," she supplied.

Itachi grimaced.

"I see," he said. He reached into his pocket and fished out some money. He set it on the table and met her gaze squarely. "Thank you for your time."

Itachi found Sakura upstairs. She had taken over one of the bedrooms and turned it into her own office. Itachi sidled past the lines of girls outside the door and entered the room. Sakura was tending to a girl on the bed who was smiling warmly at Sakura and chatting animatedly with her.

"Sakura," Itachi said.

Sakura glanced at him in acknowledgement before turning back to her patient.

"I've discovered some new information," he said.

"So have I," she said. She reached toward the drawer beside her and yanked it open. Itachi peered inside and saw what he assumed were the drugs the woman downstairs had mentioned. "Lots of stuff in there, including sildenafil."

"A woman downstairs said that Iori-sama sleeps with multiple girls on each visit and takes sildenafil between each of them," Itachi explained. "It seems that he may have inadvertently done this to himself."

Sakura patted the girl on the bed on her knee. "Okay, sweetheart, you're all done," she said. "You can go, but don't send in the next girl just yet."

The girl hopped up and gave Sakura a warm hug. Sakura hugged her back and smiled. Itachi couldn't recall the last time a complete stranger hugged him – if it had ever even happened.

"I don't think it will go over well if we accuse Iori-sama of poisoning himself," Sakura said.

"I'm inclined to agree."

"The amount of illegal drugs they have here is certainly enough to damn this place. And it'll be of their own doing instead of our manipulation," she replied.

"We should have this place shut down, then," Itachi said. "Let's go tell Tsunade-sama."

"Yes, but let me fix up as many of the girls as I can first," Sakura said. "Hopefully none of them will get into any trouble for being here. It isn't their fault they got sucked into this shithole. You know, I've been talking to some of these girls and a lot of them were _sold_ to this place – some of them by their own parents."

Itachi felt queasy with that information. How could a parent do something like that to their own child?

"They come from such poor families that they didn't really have a choice," Sakura continued, answering his unasked question.

"I'm glad we're here to help, then," Itachi said.

He watched the expression on Sakura's face shift from sad to worried to something Itachi couldn't quite place. Then she smiled at him. "Yeah, me too," she said.

"Hey, do you want to help me heal these girls?" she asked. "We could be done in half the time if you help. You can just use your Sharingan to copy my technique. It's pretty simple."

The idea of curing a bunch of underage girls of sexually transmitted diseases certainly didn't sound like Itachi's idea of a good time, but the expectant look on Sakura's face melted him a little bit. He supposed that she had helped him with the investigation, so he could help her with this.

He activated his Sharingan.

Sakura made it look a lot easier than it actually was. He had been able to copy her technique, but diagnosing the girls was a much bigger problem for Itachi. She didn't use a technique for that so much as she just explored with her chakra until she had found the problem.

So in an effort to speed things along, Sakura diagnosed while Itachi healed. It was a good setup that gave Itachi a bit of a new perspective on medic nin.

And Itachi also noted that Sakura was a good teacher. She explained things to him clearly and concisely, sometimes answering questions before he even thought to ask them. She would make an excellent sensei one day, Itachi thought, if she chose to do such a thing. He could easily imagine her with her own team of genin, or a group of medic disciples.

He also found that he didn't mind working alongside her. She was less brash, less angry when she tended to her patients. She seemed more level headed and agreeable.

"I think we're just about done here," she said as the last of the girls filed out the room. "Those are some sweet girls, aren't they?"

Itachi murmured his agreement, but he hadn't really been paying attention to them. He had to focus all of his attention on the healing process.

"So what's next?" she asked, looking at Itachi and awaiting his answer. "Should we confront the owner of the brothel? Or head back to Iori-sama? I think his wife might be arriving home soon."

She came and joined him on the bed he was sitting on. He could feel that her chakra level was getting low – so was his at this point. She looked tired yet still somehow ready to tackle their next task. He could see a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She reached up and undid the elastic that held up her hair. It fell down to her shoulders and again Itachi caught the scent of freesia on her.

It made Itachi feel uncomfortable suddenly – the idea that Sakura might have been the one to leave him those gifts. He couldn't reconcile that behavior with what he already knew of her, but it was a possibility. Wasn't it? He knew she held a candle for Sasuke, and he and Sasuke were pretty similar – at least appearance-wise. Could she have transferred those feelings to Itachi after being consistently rejected by Sasuke?

It wouldn't have been too surprising. After all, Itachi also knew that Sakura was close friends with Ino, who was known to find Itachi attractive. Perhaps Ino's gabbing had forced Sakura to see Itachi in a new light – the same one she used to view Sasuke in.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked, peering at him with concern. "You look a little stiff. Are you tired?"

"What do you think of my necklace?"

Sakura blinked and Itachi blinked right back at her. Of course she would be surprised – Itachi himself was surprised by his own words.

"Uh, it's nice, I suppose," she said with trepidation. "Is it special? Where did you get it from?"

"It isn't special," he said, and that was true. He had found it in a market stall in the civilian district one day. It had caught his eye from across the street. Something about the aesthetic of it was appealing to him, but it didn't mean anything. It wasn't an heirloom or a gift from someone special. "It's just something I found at the market."

"Oh," she said. "I noticed you wear it everyday. I thought it might have been important to you somehow."

"No, it's just a random trinket."

He watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked down into her lap, seeming to be confused and a little shy for some reason. Did that reason have anything to do with a similar necklace he had at home?

"So why'd you ask me about it then?" she finally asked.

He obviously couldn't tell her the real reason he asked without straight up asking her if she had been the one to send him the gifts and he didn't quite have the courage to ask that. What if she said yes? How would he feel about that? He didn't know, and until he did it was best not to confront her about it.

"I was just curious about your opinion," he said. "I was thinking I might stop wearing it."

"Really?" she asked. "Take it off. Let's see what you look like without it."

A little amused, Itachi reached behind his neck and unclasped the necklace. He pulled it from around his neck and held it in his lap, looking at Sakura and waiting for her criticism.

She hummed thoughtfully and brought her finger to her chin. "I never noticed it before," she said. "But you have a very feminine collarbone."

Incredulous and a little offended, Itachi pulled the necklace back up to his neck. But before he could clasp it he felt Sakura's hand on his arm, pulling at it.

"Don't," she said. "You look really good without it."

That stupid warm bubble was in his chest again and he balled the necklace up in his fist.

"Hey, don't get it all tangled up," she said, prying his fist open and taking the chain from him. She brought it up to her own neck and clasped it, giving Itachi an amused look. Her neck was smaller so the necklace hung lower on her. It brought his attention down to her cleavage, which caused Itachi to feel a warm blush rising in his cheeks.

"Well, how does it look?" she asked, an infectious grin on her face.

"I never noticed it before, but you look very masculine."

With a glare that was half annoyed and half humored, Sakura unclasped the necklace and passed it back to him.

Back at Iori's house, there was much bustle and excitement. Iori's wife had returned and unlike Iori, his wife seemed to be quite popular among the staff. She greeted Sakura and Itachi with warm embraces and a sweet smile.

"I hear you're searching for the person who poisoned my husband," she said, and turning to Sakura she continued, "And that you healed him. I'm grateful for both of your help."

Sakura smiled back. "Yes, Manui-dono," she said. "We're happy to offer our services."

"And I also hear you gave physicals to all of my staff," she said, beaming from ear to ear. "What a sweetheart you are."

"I'd be happy to take a look at you as well," Sakura replied. "Never underestimate the importance of good health."

"Of course, maybe after we've had dinner," she answered, still smiling.

Dinner was far more extravagant than Itachi thought was appropriate for the occasion. It seemed Manui also had a flare for the dramatic and had hired entertainment to come play music for them while they ate their feast.

Sakura seemed delighted that they had even been invited to such a thing and she laughed and conversed with Manui as if they were old friends. Itachi was a bit jealous of the ease with which she was able to befriend the feudal lord's wife.

He noticed that Iori seemed to be highly uncomfortable with how much chatting they were doing, even though Itachi hadn't approved of Sakura's behavior with him before, it did seem to work.

"Manui-dono," Sakura said solemnly, a stark change from the jovial tone she had been using up until that point. "There is something serious I wish to speak with you about."

"What is it, dear?"

"There is a brothel a short distance from here, as you probably already know," Sakura said. Itachi and Iori set their gazes on her sharply.

"Yes, it's a nasty place, isn't it?" Manui replied. "I've been on Iori-kun to get that place shut down, but he's adamant that there's no reason to as they aren't technically illegal."

"Well, then perhaps this is good news for you," Sakura continued. "My partner and I took a visit there as part of the investigation and we discovered that the place is crawling with illegal drugs. Some of the girls are underage and it's just not the type of place you want marring the good reputation of your beautiful village."

Manui threw a glare at her husband. "You hear that, Iori-kun?" she demanded. "Illegal drugs? Underage girls? I want that place shut down immediately."

Iori looked torn between wanting to glare at Sakura and appease his wife. "What about the employees there?" he asked. "Surely you don't mean to leave all those women out of a job, They depend on that income."

Itachi answered that before Sakura could have a chance to say something snarky. "Konoha has offered to house them until better arrangements can be made," he said.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Manui exclaimed. "Konoha is such a great village. You're all just the sweetest. Don't you agree, Iori-kun?"

Iori stretched his lips in some semblance of a smile. It didn't fool Itachi and he knew it didn't fool Sakura either. But it seemed to work on Manui. "Yes, they are," he said tersely. "And since they are so good at everything they do, I assume they've also made good progress with the investigation today."

"We have, actually," Sakura said brightly. "But we should discuss that later."

"Oh, do you have a suspect?" Manui asked. "Iori-kun thinks it might have been one of the staff, but the staff are all so agreeable. I can't imagine any of them would want to poison him."

Sakura cracked an amused smile and Itachi was grateful that she didn't laugh out loud. "No," she said. "I don't believe it was the staff, either."

"Oh?" Manui asked. "Then who is the suspect?"

"Sakura-san," Iori said sharply. "I'm feeling quite ill all of a sudden. Would you mind assisting me for a moment?" He got to his feet abruptly, nearly knocking over his wine glass in the process.

"Are you alright, Iori-kun?" Manui asked, grabbing her husband's arm with concern.

Sakura rose to her feet as well and pried Manui's hand away. "I'll see to it that he is, Manui-dono," she said. She gave Iori a wry look before leading him into a back room behind the kitchen.

Alone with Manui now, Itachi felt a little uncomfortable. He didn't like the idea of Iori and Sakura being alone with one another either. He didn't think they should be discussing the investigation without him, and if Sakura became volatile with Iori again then Itachi wouldn't be there to defuse the situation.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Manui asked.

"Sakura-san is the best medic nin in the country," Itachi answered. "If there is anything wrong with Iori-sama, she will be able to fix it."

"That girl is certainly something else, isn't she?"

"She is," Itachi answered a little uncomfortably.

"You may not know this because Iori-kun seems like such a faithful husband," Manui said. "But he was quite a penchant for the younger girls on staff. I'm sure he would never cheat on me, but I see the way he looks at them. Sakura-san is very pretty. She is right up his alley."

Itachi was stunned into silence by the admission. He felt sad for her, knowing that her husband actually was cheating on her. It was obviously that she loved him, and she was quite beautiful herself. Why would Iori want to cheat on her?

"A pretty thing like that must be popular with the boys back in Konoha," she continued.

Itachi wouldn't know about that. He couldn't deny that she was attractive, so there were probably many other men in the village who thought the same. But they were all wise enough not to act on it. With her strength and her temper, Sakura was not the kind of girl one wanted to cross.

He wondered if she did that on purpose – keeping men at bay. When she had still been pining after Sasuke it made sense. But now that she was no longer chasing after him, why hadn't she moved on to someone new?

"And a handsome man like you," Manui said. "My staff must have been falling all over you. I apologize if any of them behaved inappropriately."

"No," Itachi said immediately. "They were all perfectly professional." He was sure he would have died of mortification of such a thing had happened.

A strained silence fell over the table and Itachi listened to see if he could hear Iori and Sakura in the other room. After a moment he heard a door slamming shut and Sakura hurried back into the dining room, alone.

Her face was red and her teeth were clenched, so Itachi braced himself for the worst.

"We're leaving," she said to him.

Hesitantly, Itachi rose to his feet. He watched Sakura put on a fake smile and turn to Manui. "Thank you so much for dinner, Manui-dono," she said. "But we have to get going now. I apologize for our rudeness."

"Is everything okay?" Manui asked. "Where is Iori-kun?"

"He's resting now," she answered. "But he's fine. Maybe you should go sit with him."

Before Manui could protest, Sakura had already grabbed Itachi's arm and was dragging him through the door.

Sakura offered Itachi no information as they ran. He could see that she was still fuming and he didn't want to risk provoking an outburst from her. So instead he followed close behind her as they ran, hoping she would eventually spill the details.

But as they neared Konoha and Sakura still hadn't said anything, Itachi spoke to her anyway.

"What did he say to you?" he asked.

Sakura's eyes were harsh when they met his, but they softened immediately. "He demanded that I tell him who the suspect was," she said. "And so I told him that it was likely that he had done it to himself."

She glanced away from him.

"And then he got really angry and prattled off a whole list of other people who could have done it," she continued. "He was adamant that someone else was the culprit, but he admitted that he took sildenafil often when he went to the brothel and that his little overly aroused problem wasn't that uncommon. He was just very paranoid about the whole thing – probably because he didn't want his wife to find out. And if she did find out, he wanted a scapegoat."

Itachi didn't think he needed to worry too much about that. Manui seemed pretty smitten with Iori and even if the evidence was right in front of her, Itachi doubted she would believe he would cheat on her.

"So then he threatened to ruin me if I didn't keep it a secret from Manui-dono," she said.

Itachi faltered a bit, staring incredulously at her. "He threatened you?"

"He said that if his wife ever found out about his indiscretions that he would hold me personally responsible," she said, her voice dripping with bitterness. "And that he would make sure my reputation in Fire country would be destroyed."

A more primal side of Itachi urged him to turn back and to confront Iori about this, but his more rational side thought better of it.

"Can you believe that?" she asked. "He cheats on his wife with underage girls, poisons himself, and threatens _me_? He may be a feudal lord, but he is also a huge piece of trash."

"We need to report his behavior to Tsunade-sama," Itachi said, beginning to feel angry on Sakura's behalf.

"Oh, I plan to."

"That bastard," Tsunade said through clenched teeth.

Itachi held his breath, awaiting her outburst. Sakura definitely took after her mentor and Itachi really wished he didn't have to sit in on this mission report. Not while Tsunade was so angry.

Not that he could blame her.

"Threatening my apprentice?" she scoffed. "Iori is a real piece of work. I'm going to have to convene with the other feudal lords to discuss this matter."

"What about the girls, Tsunade-shishou?"

"Tomorrow morning I'll have a team of ANBU go to collect them," she replied. "I want you two to stay far away from Iori for now."

"So what do we do now?" Sakura asked.

"What do you mean? Your mission is over," Tsunade said. "You didn't find definitive proof that Iori did this to himself, but at this point it doesn't really matter. I don't want any Konoha nin going back there until I talk to the other feudal lords. The ANBU team will handle the brothel."

Sakura looked like she was pouting. Itachi didn't understand what she was upset about. Did she want to personally deliver the girls to Konoha?

"Don't give me that look, Sakura," Tsunade said. "I'll handle Iori. He won't get away with threatening you."

"Fine," Sakura replied, still obviously sulking.

"You're both dismissed."

Sakura stomped out of Tsunade's office much like a petulant child might. Itachi, both amused and annoyed, followed her to the street. Truthfully, Itachi was grateful that they were done with the mission. Sakura was helpful for sure, but her volatility was unpredictable and made working with her a little difficult.

Still, he felt a pang of wistfulness knowing that they wouldn't be working together anymore. They're combination of skills was an unlikely one – he couldn't imagine another scenario in which they would work together unless she joined ANBU.

The evening air was hot and the setting sun cast dark shadows across Sakura's face. Itachi watched her as she walked to the main path, curious about this volatile girl that used to be in love with his brother.

Her stomach grumbled loudly, which Itachi found quite amusing. He looked at her face to find to the blush that would surely be there, but she looked just as composed as ever – no trace of redness in her cheeks.

"You want to grab a bite to eat?" she asked.

Itachi was startled by the question. They weren't exactly friends and now that their mission was over, he assumed they wouldn't be seeing each other anymore.

"We literally just ate."

"Well, yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"Oh," he said, feeling a little awkward and unsure of what to do. Should he reject her offer? That seemed rude…

"I'm going to Ichiraku's," she said. "You can come if you want to."

She turned on her heel and walked toward the ramen stand. Itachi watched her take approximately four steps before he began to follow her.

He had a growing suspicion again that she might have been the one to give him those gifts. After all, hadn't she just asked him to eat with her? Was it more than just a friendly gesture? No other girl had initiated such an offer.

He still wasn't quite sure how he felt about it, but he had to admit that his curiosity was piqued.

Though it didn't seem like she was putting on any airs around him. When they arrived at the ramen stand she immediately ordered two bowls of ramen which she proceeded to scarf down in the most unladylike fashion. Would she have eaten like that in front of Sasuke back when she had a crush on him? Itachi very much doubted it.

He ordered a bowl for himself as well, though he was hardly hungry enough to touch it. He ate a few meager bites to occupy himself while he watched Sakura eat, but he left it mostly untouched.

Then when Sakura had finished both her bowls she began to eye his with a predatory gaze that made Itachi pull it closer to him. He took another bite and was amused to see Sakura's gaze follow it from his bowl to his mouth.

After swallowing the mouthful he set his chopsticks down and slid his bowl across the counter to her. "Would you like the rest?" he asked.

She had the decency to look a little ashamed of herself, but she nodded gratefully and took his chopsticks. Itachi found it a little disconcerting that she ate with his chopsticks instead of her own, but she didn't seem to notice.

"You must have been starving," he said, amused.

She set the chopsticks down and pushed the half eaten bowl away from her. "Yeah, I always get a little ravenous this time of the month."

The look on Itachi's face must have mirrored the horror he felt because Sakura laughed, tossing her head back.

"It's always the most fearsome shinobi who get squicked by something as mundane as a period," she said through her giggles.

"I'm not squicked." And he also didn't think he was all that fearsome.

"Oh, please, look how red your cheeks are," she said.

His cheeks didn't feel hot, so he questioned her statement. "It's a little disconcerting that you'd speak so frankly about it," he defended. "Especially while eating."

"Why tiptoe around it?" she asked. "No point in being shy about it. I'm sure you can smell it anyway, keen shinobi that you are."

He couldn't smell it and he didn't want to, but he found that to be oddly flattering anyway.

And also, she had a point. Why tiptoe around an issue?

"Sakura-san—"

"Just Sakura is fine," she said. Itachi didn't know why that made his heartbeat increase ever so slightly.

"Sakura, have you left any packages for me at my front door recently?" he asked.

"Packages?" she asked. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"Someone has left me some anonymous packages recently," he answered.

"What were they?"

"Food, a necklace, and a custom made shirt," he answered.

Sakura grinned widely and it made Itachi feel very uncomfortable. "You thought _I_ left them for you?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't know who left them," he said, willing himself not to blush. "Maybe you and your investigative skills can help me find out who did."

"Aww, someone has a crush on you!" she exclaimed.

He shushed her, giving her a reproachful look. "Keep it down," he said, glancing around the stand. He didn't have anything to hide, per se, but he didn't want his private business being gossiped about by nosy eavesdroppers.

She ignored him. "Do you know of anyone who likes you?" she asked. "Any girls who might have left them?"

He glared at her. If he knew that he wouldn't have needed to ask for her help.

"You're an eligible bachelor what with being the Uchiha heir and all," she continued. "There are probably tons of girls who could have left those gifts. But don't worry, I'll help you find whoever left them."

"One of the gifts smelled like freesia," he said, hoping that by supplying her with a clue she would provide some actual help instead of whatever this gushing that she was doing was. "That was why I thought it might have been you. You sometimes smell like freesia."

"Oh, that's because Ino used freesia to make these perfume samples she's been handing out at the flower shop," Sakura said. "That doesn't narrow things down much – pretty much every girl in the village took one. Any other clues?"

"Whoever left them must have been good at cooking," he supplied. "The food they left smelled really good."

"Do you know any girls who are good at cooking?"

"Aren't most girls good at cooking?"

"No," she said with a glare. "I'm not."

"Well, I don't specifically know any girls who are good at cooking, then," Itachi replied.

"How about any girls that like you?" she asked. "Anyone that has expressed interest in you?"

Itachi thought about all the girls he knew who were more vocal about their attraction toward him. He couldn't imagine any of them would be shy enough to give him gifts without leaving a note. Ino came to mind and she certainly wouldn't want to let anyone else take credit for her handiwork.

"Not really," he answered.

"Really?" she exclaimed. "You can't think of a single girl who likes you?"

"Girls usually prefer Sasuke to me," he answered. He wasn't bitter about it, but it was something he had noticed. He didn't know why – Sasuke was usually very cold with the girls who liked him. Case in point: Sakura. Itachi had never been cold to any girls who flirted with him, but they were rare.

"That's just because they don't know any better," she said. "You're obviously a much better catch than Sasuke."

Itachi blinked. "You think so?"

"Oh, for sure," she gushed, not perturbed in the slightest by the admission. "You're older. You're the heir. You're taller. You're not a huge asshole. Sasuke has that dark, brooding, mysterious thing about him that girls tend to like, but that stuff it all superficial. You've definitely got more quality."

Itachi had some qualms about her reasoning (how was the fact that he was older and taller than Sasuke less superficial than being mysterious or brooding?), but that didn't stop him from feeling a little heat growing in the pit of his stomach.

"Didn't you used to love Sasuke?" he accused.

"Yeah, when I was _twelve_ ," she said defensively. "People are always bringing that up, but I moved on a long time ago."

"I've never see you with another man."

Her glare was ferocious enough that he physically recoiled from her. "That's because I don't want one," she snapped.

"Why not?"

She blinked at him and the sudden change in her facial features from angry to confused was funny to Itachi. He cracked an amused smile, which seemed to make her anger return.

"Why don't you want a man?" he asked. "Do you prefer women? Or are there just no men in the village who have caught your eye?"

A tinge of pink rose in her cheeks and she crossed her arms self-consciously. "Those are extremely personal questions, Itachi."

"I apologize," he said, feeling only a little guilty for making her feel self-conscious. "I was jut curious. It's hard to imagine a beautiful, clever girl with such a prestigious position under the Hokage and a reputation for being the best medic-nin in the country would be unable to find a partner."

He had suspected that his blatant attempt at buttering her up would make her blush deepen. Or perhaps she would have sensed sarcasm where there wasn't any and be offended. But instead she sat up a little straighter and squared her shoulders.

"I'm the best medic-nin in the _world,_ " she corrected. "And it's not that I'm unable. I just don't have time for that nonsense right now."

Itachi agreed with her there. Relationships (at least the ones he had observed in the village) seemed to be nothing but unnecessary drama. She certainly kept herself busy between taking missions and working at the hospital, so he completely understood her reasoning.

Still, he thought, it was a bit of a waste – a girl like her being alone.

"Enough about me, though," she said. "We need more information about your mystery girl if we're going to identify her. We should take a look at the gifts to find some more clues."

"They're at the Uchiha compound," he said.

"Well, let's go then."

Itachi's eyebrows flew up. He was a little shocked that she would invite herself over with no sense of decorum. It was getting late and he wanted to go home and rest instead. They could look for clues tomorrow, maybe.

But looking at the expectant look on her face made Itachi feel a stab of guilt in his gut just thinking about telling her no.

"Okay."


	3. Chapter 3

Itachi was grateful that his parents and brother weren't around when he brought Sakura to his house. He could sense that they were all home, but they were each off doing their own things – not loitering around. He didn't feel like answering questions about why he would bring Sakura here – not with the truth or any other lie he could make up.

So he swept her quickly into his bedroom and slid the door shut behind them. Of course they would be able to sense that she was here (and in his closed bedroom), which would raise questions for later.

But maybe if he just avoided them for long enough they would forget about it.

Sakura didn't seem to mind that he was treating her like a huge secret. In fact, it seemed that she might have wanted that too, because her chakra signature disappeared soon after he shut the door.

She was looking around his room, probably trying to find some more insight about him as a person. Itachi had been told on more than one occasion that he was a bit of a closed book.

But she wouldn't find anything here that would help with that. Itachi's room was tidy and bland. Other than the bed and a small bookshelf with just a few items on it, there wasn't much for her to see.

While she snooped through the books and knick-knacks on his shelves, Itachi reached into his closet and pulled out the paper sack that contained both the necklace and the shirt.

"The food is gone, obviously," Itachi said. He hadn't eaten it, but he had left it in the kitchen for someone else to either eat or throw away. "But here are the other two gifts."

Sakura took the packages from him and peered inside.

"Oh," she said. "That's why you asked about your necklace." She picked up the delicate chain and held it up to the light, inspecting it from different angles as if the name of whoever had gifted it was inscribed somewhere on it.

"Yes, it's the same as the one I already have except it's a darker metal," Itachi said.

"Has anyone ever made a comment about your necklace before?" she asked.

Itachi shook his head. She reached back into the sack and pulled out the shirt. She unfolded it and also held it up to the light, tracing her fingers over the Uchiha crest on the back.

"This is hideous," she said.

"It's not hideous," he replied. "It's just not my style."

Sakura grinned widely and it unsettled Itachi. "Put it on," she said. "Maybe there is some clue hidden in it that's only revealed when you put it on."

"No."

"Oh, come on," she said, pouting. "Someone went to all the trouble of getting this shirt made for you and you won't even put it on?"

Itachi stared at her for a moment, hoping his will was stronger than hers. He really didn't want to put the shirt on – it was the wrong color for him. He could tell just by looking at it that it would make him look pale and sickly.

She did something weird with her eyes, something that made them look like they were wavering. He knew it was a trick, but he felt himself softening a bit. He clenched his jaw and shook his head.

"Please?" she said, making her voice as small and whiney as possible. He hated that it worked.

"Fine." He yanked the shirt he was wearing over his head and pulled on the red one, tugging it down over his stomach. It was a bit too small – he could feel the fabric stretching around his broad shoulders.

Sakura broke into pealing laughter, pointing at him in a mocking manner that Itachi definitely did not like.

"You look ridiculous!" she exclaimed, still laughing.

Frustrated, he lifted the hem of the shirt to take it off, but Sakura's hands on his stopped him.

"Wait," she said. "Put the necklace on, too."

"Absolutely not."

"Please, Itachi."

"You're going to make fun of me."

"I won't. I swear."

He regarded her skeptically. Her laughter had subsided and she was still smiling, but it wasn't an unpleasant or cruel smile. Her hands were still resting on his and he felt the skin on skin contact acutely for some reason. Carefully, so as not to offend her, he pulled his hands away and reached for the necklace.

She squealed with delight as he fastened it around his neck. Once it was lying against his collarbone, he let his arms fall to his sides so she could inspect him.

"Oh my god, you look like an opposite version of yourself," she said, grinning with barely contained laughter. "Nega-Itachi."

He glared at her. "You said you wouldn't make fun of me."

"I'm not!" she said. "You look like an evil villain. Like if you went psycho and decided to murder everyone this is how you would dress."

Itachi crossed his arms with a huff, which made the shirt pull even tighter across his chest and the hem to rise up, exposing a strip of skin below his navel. "You're not being very helpful," he said, more than a little annoyed.

"Whoever gave you this stuff obviously was into a sexier, wicked version of you," she said, trying to stifle her giggled by biting her knuckle.

"Sexier?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that shirt is so tight," she said. "Really accentuates your muscles. You have to see yourself. Come on, where's a mirror?"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him out into the hallway, looking for the bathroom. Itachi felt nervousness claw at his throat. His family was home – what if they saw him dressed like this? Holding Sakura's hand, no less?

Quickly, he led her down the hallway to the bathroom, but to Itachi's eternal mortification, Sasuke was just leaving it as they approached. He had obviously just showered – his hair dripping wet and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What the fuck?"

"Move, Sasuke, you're in the way," Sakura said, shoving him out of the way and dragging Itachi to the doorway. She shoved him inside and pointed to his reflection in the mirror. She then proceeded to collapse into another fit of giggles.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, bewildered. "What did you do to my brother?"

"Not me," she said, still hysterical. "His mystery girl."

Itachi's cheeks matched the shade of his shirt, which he could tell from his reflection _did_ in fact show of his muscles because of how insanely tight it was. The darker metal of the necklace seemed too dark against his pale skin and he felt like he was looking at a stranger in the mirror.

"You know what we need to do, Itachi?" Sakura asked, beginning to calm down again. "A stake out. If she left you these, she'll probably leave you more. We should wait until she comes again and catch her in the act."

"That's what this is about?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi, completely humiliated and desperate to get out of this awful situation, turned to his nearly naked brother. "Sasuke, go put some clothes on," he said sternly. "We have a guest."

"My outfit isn't any less appropriate than yours," he countered.

Sakura burst into a new round of laughter. Sasuke looked triumphant – if still a little confused. But after receiving another heated glare from Itachi, Sasuke rolled his eyes and meandered down the hall to his own room.

Itachi took that opportunity to steer Sakura back to his bedroom. Once the door had been shut behind them, Itachi pulled off the shirt and began looking for the one he had been previously wearing.

Sakura's stake out idea wasn't a bad one. It was definitely the most direct way to find out who was leaving the gifts. Confronting someone while they were in the act might prove to be awkward, though – especially if they weren't quite ready to be found yet. Itachi could understand that shyness. He was pretty shy himself.

He didn't want to put whoever it was in such an uncomfortable position – not when he didn't know who it was or how he would feel about her. It would be most unfortunate to catch her and then immediately reject her.

"Is there anyone in particular that you're hoping it to be?" Sakura asked.

He turned to look at her and found that she was holding his shirt hooked over her pointer finger and extending it to him. She was staring quite brazenly at him – or rather, at his bare chest. It was a little strange to Itachi because she had just called him sexy and they were alone in his bedroom and he'd never been in a position like this with a girl before.

"What do you mean?" he asked, taking the shirt from her finger and pulling it over his head.

"I mean is there a girl that you like?" she asked. "A girl that you want to be with. You're the heir, aren't you? Haven't you considered who you might marry once the time comes?"

Itachi hadn't really considered that before. Of course he knew that he would have to marry once he was older, but he hadn't given it much thought. He had always been more focused on training, on his missions.

"I'm in the same boat as you, I guess," he said. "I haven't really had time for that."

"Fair enough," she replied. "Anyone you _don't_ want it to be?"

Ino, Itachi thought. But he wouldn't say that to Sakura.

"No."

"Good, you'll have at least one option then," she said.

"One option?"

"You know, for a wife?" she said. "It would suck if the time came for you to marry and all the good girls were already married. You'd get stuck with some hag who'd pollute the Uchiha bloodline. But this way you know at least one girl is willing to marry you."

He didn't know that. It could have been some hag who'd left the gifts (though he'd never refer to anyone as a hag). Or it could be someone who wasn't willing to marry him, someone only interested in a fling.

"I don't foresee that happening," he said. "If anything, my parents would choose a wife for me to keep the bloodline strong."

"You'd be okay with that?" she asked. "Not being able to choose your wife?"

He didn't know the answer to that and he wasn't comfortable with this line of questioning anymore.

"I'm just going to hope I don't have to worry about that," he said. "It's getting late, so maybe we should call it a night and try your stake out idea tomorrow."

"No, we can't wait until tomorrow!"

"Why not?" he asked, really regretting that he had asked for Sakura's help.

"Because she might come again tonight," she answered.

"What makes you think she will?"

"Just call it a hunch."

A very reluctant Itachi found himself poised on the roof of his own house, surveying the street below. Sakura was at his side, silent, thankfully. It was his good fortune that their endeavor required a certain amount of stealth and that she wouldn't be able to ask him more probing questions.

The night air was somewhat chilly and he wished he had brought a jacket with him up here. He considered going to get one and then just staying inside rather than coming back for Sakura, but he didn't want to risk her wrath later.

So he sat there silently instead, trying not to shiver. It was now quite late in the evening and Itachi didn't think anyone would show up. It was likely that whoever had left the gifts had come by early in the morning. If she had come by late at night, one of his family members might have sensed her.

And at this point, Itachi wasn't sure he even wanted to know who it was. She had left him gifts that were definitely thought out and specific to him, but not ones he particularly enjoyed. Perhaps it wasn't someone who knew him very well.

But then again, who _did_ know him well?

He glanced over at Sakura who was intensely scouting the street below, her eyes scanning for any sign of someone moving. He thought it was cute, how willing she was to help him. Even if her tactics were a bit abrasive, he still appreciated the gestures.

He noticed her shivering, too and he leaned closer to her to whisper, "Would you like me to run inside and get you a jacket?"

She shushed him, waving her hand frantically. "Be quiet, you might scare her away."

Itachi wondered who she was talking about because there was definitely no one around to scare away, but he fell silent anyway and returned his eyes to the street below.

It was boring sitting up there on the roof, and Itachi realized that it was the first time that he had been around a silent Sakura. Boring as it was, he didn't find it uncomfortable, so he relaxed himself against the shingles behind him and let himself enjoy her company.

Itachi woke with an awful crick in his neck, and other than a suspicious warmth against his side, he was freezing. He blinked his eyes open and saw that he was still on the roof. The sun was just starting to peak up over the horizon and he could hear birds chirping off in the distance.

He looked down to where Sakura was pressed against his side. Her face was smushed against his shoulder and her hands shoved between her legs to keep them warm. There was a line of drool dripping from her chin and it was dangerously close to Itachi's shoulder. Gently, he pushed her away from him and shook her.

"Wake up," he said.

Blearily, she opened her eyes and rubbed the drool away from her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Where am I?"

"My rooftop," he answered with amusement.

"Oh, shit, I'm late for work!"

She sprang up to her feet and raked her fingers through her hair.

"Do you want to use our bathroom?" Itachi offered. Not that he would ever have mentioned it to her, but spending the night outside left them both smelling less than fresh and he definitely wouldn't have wanted to spend all day working without taking a shower first.

"No time," she said. Before he could protest, she had leapt away. He watched her form jump across the rooftops until he could no longer see her.

"What was that all about with Sakura?"

Itachi looked over at his brother, wanting to glare at him but choosing not to.

"Is that who was here last night?" Mikoto asked. She took a bite of her breakfast and chewed it slowly before turning to Itachi and raising a questioning eyebrow. "What were you doing with Sasuke's teammate?"

"We had a mission together," Itachi answered as vaguely as possible.

"Yeah, but why did you bring her here?" Sasuke insisted. "And why were you wearing that ridiculous shirt?"

"What ridiculous shirt?" Mikoto asked.

"That stupid red one," Sasuke answered for him.

"It isn't stupid," Itachi said defensively, though he wasn't sure why he felt that way. "It was a gift."

"A stupid gift," Sasuke mumbled.

"Oh was that what was in that package Izumi left?" Mikoto asked.

"Izumi?" Itachi asked with surprise. "Izumi left me those gifts?" He felt very foolish for never even considering that his mother might have seen who left the packages, and even more foolish for not suspecting that it might have been Izumi. She had always been very friendly with him. He hadn't suspected that she liked him as anything more than a friend, though.

"Oh, yeah, she came by and dropped it off on the porch, but she was gone before I could open the door," Mikoto answer. "I saw her through the window."

Then, as if coming to a suddenly realization, Mikoto's face lit up. "Oh, does she like you, Itachi?" she asked. "That would be a smart match, wouldn't it Fugaku-kun?"

Fugaku, who had been silent up until that moment, nodded his head in his wife's direction. "It would be," he said.

Aside from the fact that he didn't like his family discussing his personal business at the table, Itachi felt very relieved to finally know who had given him the gifts.

"So are you going to go talk to her?" Mikoto asked.

That was the last thing Itachi wanted to do. He wasn't sure how he felt about Izumi yet, and talking to her wasn't going to clear that up. If anything, it would only upset her that he couldn't give her a straight answer and he didn't want to do that.

"I don't know," he lied. "Maybe."

"You should definitely talk to her," Mikoto insisted. "She's from a good family and she likes you. You like her, don't you?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?" she pressed.

"I'll need to think about it," he answered calmly. He glanced over at Sasuke and saw him smirk with amusement.

"Is it because you didn't like the shirt?" Sasuke said mockingly.

"Oh, Itachi," Mikoto said. "That's not a very good reason not to like someone. She meant well. It's the thought that counts."

Frustrated, Itachi set down his chopsticks. His mother wasn't usually so meddlesome, and while he understood that she wanted him to find a good woman and settled down, he was annoyed with how adamant she was.

"Leave him alone," Fugaku said. "He has plenty of time to explore his options. It's not a decision to be rushed."

"Oh, fine," Mikoto said.

After the most irritating breakfast of Itachi's life, he headed back to the Hokage tower to receive his next orders.

"Sorry, Itachi," Tsunade told him. "I don't have a mission for you at the moment."

Itachi was disappointed by this news because he needed a distraction from the whole Izumi thing.

"Is there any update on the Iori situation?" he asked, desperate for anything.

"Not until I convene with the other feudal lords next week," she answered.

Itachi pressed his lips together in annoyance. So now he was stuck in the village with no mission and nothing to do. He didn't have an update on his last mission, or an answer for Izumi.

"Isn't there anything you've got for me?" Itachi asked.

Tsunade smirked, resting her chin on her fist. "Are you bored, Itachi?" she asked mirthfully. "If you really want something to do, you can help the hospital staff. There's a flu going around the civilian district and the staff is overworked as it is."

Itachi grimaced because being surrounded by sick people sounded awful. But he asked and she supplied, so he couldn't rightly refuse.

"What would you have me do?" he asked.

"You've got some rudimentary medical knowledge," she said. "You can assist the nurses with whatever they need. They're in Sakura's purview, so you can report to her."

Somehow that seemed worse than just going home and being bored.

"Itachi, I don't have time to help you right now," Sakura said. "I'm really busy here."

"Actually—"

"Guremi-san, please go to the storeroom and grab some more disinfectant," she yelled down the hallway. "Room 207 needs cleaning – he puked everywhere."

The girl who Itachi presumed was Guremi winced. "I can't," she answered. "I'm needed in surgery right now." She disappeared around the corner and Itachi had the sneaking suspicion that she was _not_ needed in surgery.

"That little—"

"I'll do it," Itachi said, interrupting her.

She scoffed and whirled to face him. She looked awful with dark shadows under her eyes and her white coat pulled on over her rumpled clothes from the day before. She still smelled, only now it was worse because she was covered in all manner of bodily fluids that were not her own.

Before she could snap at him (which was clearly what she was going to do), Itachi held up a hand. "Tsunade-sama sent me to help you," he said. "She said there's a flu going around civilian district. I'm here to help."

"That doesn't sound like something she would do," Sakura said skeptically. "But I need your help anyway, so I'd appreciate it if you could run to the storeroom and get me some disinfectant."

Itachi did as he was told and made his way down to the storeroom. He didn't exactly know where the storeroom was, so he headed for the stairs and followed his nose.

And as it turned out, Itachi's nose was more of a burden than anything else. There were all kinds of smells in the hospital – unpleasant ones. And unfortunately for Itachi, pretty much every task he was given by Sakura entailed getting rid of these unpleasant odors.

He cleaned puke, changed bedpans, and gave sponge baths to elderly patients. When all that was done he changed sheets on the beds and removed lunch trays from the patients' rooms.

Even though the tasks themselves were far from enjoyable, Itachi didn't find the work to be taxing – at least not compared to the work he did on missions. It was almost relaxing. While there were much more pressing and urgent things happening elsewhere in the hospital, Itachi's work was quiet and easy.

When he had finished every task that had been assigned to him, he ventured back to Sakura's office to see what she needed him to do next. He found her slumped against her desk, her head buried in her arms.

"Are you sleeping?" he asked.

She sat up rigidly, blinking and rubbing her eyes. "No, I was just resting my eyes," she said. "It's been a long day."

"Is there anything else you need help with?"

She gave him a curious look. "Why are you being so helpful?"

"Tsunade-sama gave me the task," Itachi answered. "She didn't have any missions for me and she said you needed help."

"Oh."

"But you're right that it is a bit strange," he continued. "For all the years you've been Sasuke's teammate, we haven't talked very much."

"It's not _that_ strange. I'm sure you haven't talked very much with Naruto, either."

That wasn't exactly true. Sasuke and Naruto were close. Naruto came over to the Uchiha compound often enough. Itachi wouldn't have considered the blond to be his friend, but they were at least friendly with one another.

Sakura had always been a weird case. Sasuke didn't particularly like her (likely due to her crush on him). Itachi never had a reason to really get to know her.

"Well, anyway," she said, "Thanks for your help today. I'm about to go home myself, so I guess that means you can, too."

She resumed her slumped position against her desk and her eyes fluttered shut. Itachi watched in amusement while she teetered dangerously on the edge of sleep. He could feel that her chakra signature was weak again. The poor girl was probably exhausted. The little sleep she had gotten the night before had been on his roof in the cold, and now she had worked a full shift without even going home to change first. If he were in her position, he'd likely fall asleep at the desk, too.

"You shouldn't make a habit out of falling asleep just anywhere like that," he said, snapping her back up into a sitting position.

"I'm not asleep," she mumbled.

"Maybe you should go home."

"I will. I just need to rest my eyes for a second."

She fell silent and buried her face in her arms. Itachi wasn't sure if he should just leave her there. He knew she had a tendency to drool and she was poised right above some files that looked like they could be important.

"Sakura, let me walk you home."

She didn't move.

"Sakura."

When she still didn't move, Itachi walked behind her desk and jostled her gently. She sat up again, glaring at him.

"Come on," he said. "I'll walk you home."

He thought she might protest – the idea that a kunoichi needed to be walked home (in broad daylight, nonetheless) could be construed as offensive. But she nodded and got to her feet.

Of course Itachi didn't know where Sakura lived, so in her sleepy state she still had to lead the way. She held onto his arm as they walked, practically sagging against him. Ordinarily Itachi would have found the physical contact to be too much, but he found he didn't mind touching her.

In fact, even her offensive smell was somehow endearing to him right now. Sakura was a powerful kunoichi, well-respected and loved among her peers. She was exceptionally skilled and sought after. Somehow the fact that a woman like that needed him to walk her home felt good. Itachi could admit to himself that he liked to be needed.

"Thanks for offering to walk me home, Itachi," she said as they walked.

"Well, it's partially my fault you're so tired, isn't it?" he asked, smiling down at her. It wasn't really. She had invited herself over, proposed the stake out on her own, and then fallen asleep on his roof. He was hardly to blame at all.

"Yeah, sorry for falling asleep on your roof," she said sheepishly. "Did your mystery girl leave you another gift?"

"No," he answered. After working all day he had forgotten about Izumi. Naturally, he should tell Sakura he knew her identity now.

"That's good," she said. "It means we didn't miss the opportunity to catch her. We'll just have to have another stake out."

He should have told her right then. But Itachi realized that he actually wanted to 'stake out' with her again. Of course, if he wanted to just hang out with her he probably could have just asked. She didn't seem adverse to his company. But the idea that she might have said no was enough to deter him. This way he wouldn't have to face potential rejection.

He could allow her to stake out with him again. They would catch Izumi and that would be the end of it.

"So what are you going to do when we catch her?" she asked. "Are you going to take her on a date?"

"I don't know."

"Yeah, I guess it depends on who she is," Sakura agreed. "But still, even if it's someone you don't like, you should at least take her on one date. She went to all the effort of getting you those well thought out gifts."

"I suppose."

"But if it _is_ someone you like, this will be such a cute story to tell your children," she said, smiling in a way that made his stomach flip. He looked away from her, confused by the feeling.

"I don't like anyone."

"But that doesn't mean you _won't_ like anyone," she said. "It takes time to get to know someone well enough to know whether or not you like them."

Itachi felt like he knew Izumi well enough. They were both Uchihas – they had grown up together. It wasn't necessarily that he didn't like her. He had just never considered a romantic relationship with her before – or with anyone else for that matter.

"Hopefully she's someone who will treat you right. She seems like she would be – she gave you all that stuff," said Sakura.

Itachi wasn't really in the mood to be thinking about how Izumi might treat him.

"And obviously you would treat her right," Sakura said. "You would be a pretty good boyfriend, I think."

That gave him pause. He had no idea why she would say such a thing or why it made him feel so happy that she thought that. "You think so?" he asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't you be?" she asked. "You're so nice and thoughtful. I mean you're walking me home when you had no obligation to do that. I'd definitely be asleep on my desk right now otherwise."

Itachi didn't know what to say to that, but luckily he was saved from having to say anything at all because they had stopped at Sakura's door.

"Anyway, thanks for walking me home, Itachi," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him. "I'm going to take a shower and then sleep for twelve hours. Let me know when you want to stake out again."

Itachi didn't have time to process the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach when she wrapped her arms around him. In a matter of seconds he was standing alone on her doorstep.

Three days later another package arrived for Itachi. It was wrapped in the same brown paper with his name written on it in the same girlish penmanship. It was a fairly small box and when Itachi shook it he heard a metallic clang.

He didn't want to open it.

Now that he knew it was from Izumi, curiosity wasn't driving him anymore. He didn't really need to know what was in it. He had decided to reject Izumi's advances. It wasn't that he didn't like her – his own parents had an arranged marriage and had grown to love one another in spite of it. He had no doubt in his mind that he could get along with Izumi well enough. She would make a good wife and he a good husband.

But (and he was loathe to admit this, even if just to himself) there was someone else he wanted to explore a little bit. He wasn't necessarily looking for a relationship. He just wanted to spend a little time getting to know the abrasive pink haired girl who had somehow inserted herself into his mind without his permission.

It was a specific feeling that he was chasing – that warm bubble. Logically he knew that it was hormones and endorphins. But he _didn't_ know why Sakura seemed to elicit that reaction from him. Ultimately, it didn't really matter why. It was a high like he had never experienced before and he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to explore it a bit more.

Itachi tucked the package under his arm and made his way to Sakura's apartment. He had learned that today was one of her days off this week from Ino, who had been very forthcoming with that information.

He knocked on her door with nervousness tossing in his stomach. It wasn't like him to just show up at someone's home uninvited. What if she was busy? What if she didn't want to see him?

The door swung open and revealed a disheveled looking Sakura. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun and tears streaked down her cheeks. She was wearing sweatpants and what looked like one of Naruto's old t-shirts.

When she saw him, her eyes lit up and she smiled so brightly that Itachi felt that bubble in his chest, hot and ready to burst. The juxtaposition of her bright smile against what was clearly some sort of episodic bout of sadness was jarring.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, beckoning him inside.

Itachi wasn't so sure that it was a good idea to come inside – not while she was crying. The inside of her apartment was dark and he could see take out boxes littered around her coffee table.

But he stepped inside anyway. Sakura flipped the light switch and started gathering up her take out boxes.

"Sorry, it's my day off and I was just having a day in watching movies and stuff," she explained, disappearing into the kitchen before reappearing empty-handed.

"I got another package," he said, extending the box to her. "Are you okay, though? Why were you crying?"

Sakura snatched the box away from him, waving her hand dismissively. "Just watching a sad movie," she said. "You didn't see her when she dropped it off? What is it?"

Itachi was not experienced enough with the fairer sex to know whether or not it was a normal thing for her to have watched a movie that made her cry. If it made her so sad, why did she want to watch it? Itachi's mother didn't cry very often at all, but when she did it always seemed to be over something quite serious.

"What movie?" he asked.

She reeled back and gave him an incredulous look. "What's the matter with you? You haven't even opened this yet and you're asking about the movie I watched."

"You were crying," he said. "It's jarring to see you cry."

She laughed. "You don't know me well enough, Itachi," she said.

No, but he wanted to.

"Why would you watch a movie that makes you cry?"

"Why haven't you opened this package yet?"

"I wanted to open it with you."

She narrowed her eyes at him like she didn't believe him. And he couldn't really blame her because why would he have waited to open it with her? He hadn't done that with the other gifts. And the gifts really didn't have anything to do with her.

"Well I'm here now," she said. "So open it."

She shoved it back into his hands and watched while Itachi tore into the paper. Inside was a white box. He pulled the lid away and found the source of the metallic clanging: a set of kunai. The Uchiha crest was engraved in each handle. He picked one up and tested its weight.

Spinning it around his finger he could tell that it was designed to be decorative rather than functional.

"Wow, those look really nice," Sakura said, letting out an impressed whistle.

"They're decorative," he said. He knew exactly where they had come from, too. Only an Uchiha could get ahold of these. Perhaps Izumi intended on revealing her identity soon. This gift certainly narrowed down the list of suspects if Itachi hadn't already known who the gift giver was.

"I'm a little jealous," she said with a wistful look. "Someone likes you enough to go to all this trouble for you."

"There are plenty of people who would go to all this trouble for you, too, Sakura," Itachi said.

He was surprised when she glared at him. It had seemed like such a harmless thing to say.

"No, there is a huge difference between guys that just want to get in my pants and guys that would do romantic things for me," she said heatedly.

"Romantic things?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "These gifts are all so romantic! No one has ever done anything like that for me."

Itachi took a step back away from her because she was derailing the conversation a bit and he didn't like the direction they were moving in.

"How come Sasuke isn't more like you?"

"Pardon?"

"You guys are polar opposites," she said. "If I had given gifts like these to Sasuke, he would only have been annoyed."

Itachi wasn't annoyed by the gifts, per se, but he was certainly annoyed by all the trouble they caused. And he was annoyed by the fact that now he was going to have to reject Izumi and hurt her feelings.

"Sasuke can be a bit of a dick sometimes," Itachi said pragmatically, because he did know that Sasuke would have been annoyed by the gifts, regardless of who had given them to him.

Sakura looked shocked but then she cracked a grim smile. "Alright," she said. "Let's not talk about Sasuke. Sorry for getting side-tracked. Let's take a look at these kunai and see if they have any clues hidden in them."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to her couch. He looked down at where their hands met. For a brief moment, Itachi felt compelled to grasp Sakura's hand. As it was now, limp in her strong grip, he could feel his palm start to sweat. He had seen what she could do with that hand. She had the power to kill and the power to heal with those hands.

Feeling confused, Itachi pulled his hand out of her grasp and sat next to her on the couch. He watched Sakura set the kunai on her coffee table and line them up neatly.

"Do you know where someone could purchase custom kunai like these?" Sakura asked.

"No," he lied.

"Well, we could always ask around," she said. "I imagine whoever made these would remember making them."

"We should stake out again."

"Are you sure? That didn't work out so well last time," she pointed out.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Yeah, we should find out where these kunai were made," she said patiently.

"Okay," he relented. "Where should we go first?"

"Sasuke has a set that are similar to these," she said. "He said your mom gave them to him. We should ask your mom where she got them from."

Well, they definitely couldn't do that.

"She's busy today," he lied quickly. "But maybe we can ask around at other smiths around the village. Isn't there one in the civilian district?"

She gave him a quizzical look. "I doubt whoever got these for you would have gotten them from the civilian district," she said. "The one closest to the Uchiha compound seems like the most logical choice."

He knew that Izumi hadn't gotten the kunai from there. But he still didn't want to venture that close to the Uchiha compound with Sakura in tow. What if Izumi saw them together? Would she be upset?

"Okay," he agreed. "Let's try there first."

"Hold on, I have to get dressed," she said.

Itachi waited while she ran up the stairs. He felt conflicted now because at first he had wanted to get to know her more and learn more about her. But now that he was presented an opportunity to spend time with her it only made him feel nervous.

She came back down the stairs a few moments later wearing her regular clothes – spandex shorts underneath a pink apron and a red vest. The vest was zipped up to just underneath her collarbone and Itachi let his eyes linger there for a second, remembering the way his necklace had looked on her.

"Come on, you're a shinobi," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You can't stare any more subtly than that?"

"I wasn't looking at your…"

She raised a curious eyebrow.

"I wasn't looking at you."

"Of course you weren't," she said. "Let's get going, pervert."

As Itachi predicted, the smith near the Uchiha compound had no idea where the kunai had been made. They weren't made by him and no one had asked him to make kunai with the Uchiha crest on them.

Sakura did not seem discouraged by this. In fact, Itachi was impressed with how dedicated she was to finding his 'mystery' woman. He followed her to every smith in the village. Each one left her a little more disappointed than the last.

"I can't think of where else she might have had these made," Sakura complained. "We've tried literally every smith in the village."

"It's alright, Sakura," he said. "Even if we don't find her, I'm sure she will eventually reveal herself to me. Why else would she leave me gifts at all?"

"Well, if she's anything like Hinata, that day might never come," she said sardonically. Then she gasped and grabbed his arm. "What if it's Hinata?"

Itachi shook his head. "I don't think it's Hinata."

"Oh my god, I hope it is," she squealed. "You guys would be so perfect together!"

Itachi didn't think so. The Uchiha and Hyuuga weren't necessarily the best of friends. Even though both clans were powerful and having the two heirs marry one another would create strong offspring, the competing doujutsu was a bad idea.

Not to mention that Hinata was obviously interested in Naruto.

"I think she has her eye on someone else," Itachi insisted.

"Oh, you mean Naruto?" she asked. "No, he finally just rejected her. Poor thing. She must be on the rebound now."

"I don't think I'm her type."

"Nonsense, who wouldn't like you?"

Hinata, for one, Itachi thought. And also Sakura, who seemed determined to find another woman for him to be with.

"If it _is_ Hinata," she continued. "You'll have to be careful with her. She's easy to scare off."

Itachi suddenly didn't want to think about the investigation or Hinata or Izumi or the gifts anymore. It was depressing and confusing and it sent the wrong message to Sakura.

After doing a little thinking on the subject, Itachi came to realize that he had a bit of a crush on Sakura. Well, maybe crush was too strong a word. He had an interest in her. It could have been strictly plutonic. He wouldn't know that until he got to know her better. But he did know one thing: he definitely wanted to get to know her better.

He understood perfectly that it was unreasonable of him to try to get to know Sakura under false pretenses. She was helping him because she was a nice person and he was taking advantage of her by doing this. He should come clean to her and let her know that he knew it was Izumi.

"Do you want to try another stake out?" she asked. "It seems unlikely that she would bring another gift so soon, but it wouldn't hurt to try."

She was absolutely right. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Later that night, Itachi sat on his roof again with Sakura. This time, her presence had been welcomed and Itachi had prepared by bringing a quilt for them to sit on and a couple of warm jackets.

She shrugged on his denim jacket without so much as a thank you. He didn't mind so much because she somehow looked better in it than he did, in spite of the fact that it was several sizes too big for her. He watched her bring the collar to her nose and inhale deeply.

"Smells like you," she said matter-of-factly.

He hadn't washed it since the last time he wore it, but he didn't think it smelled bad. "Sorry," he said, shrugging off the zippered hoodie he had just pulled on over his shirt. "You can wear this one."

She gave him a confused look and laughed. "It doesn't smell bad, Itachi," she said. "Besides, I'm sure that one smells like you, too."

He shrugged the hoodie back on. "It sounded like you were complaining," he said, shifting a little closer to her. There was about a foot of space between them, but Sakura had propped herself up against her hand which was directly in between them.

"No, I just had the impulse to sniff it," she said.

He wondered how many times she wore other men's clothing.

"Why?"

"You're a man and men smell good."

It was Itachi's turn to look confused. In his experience, men smelled terrible – especially in comparison to women, who always seemed to smell like fresh daisies and honey.

"Do they?" he asked skeptically.

She laughed again, stifling it with her hand in which she had pulled the sleeve of his jacket, covering it completely.

"Well, not all of them do," she said. "But you do."

That sent a sharp heat up through his chest.

"I know it's only pheromones," she continued. "But smell can tell you a lot about a person."

That seemed wildly impractical, Itachi thought.

"What do you make of my smell?" he asked, hoping he hadn't just walked into some kind of trap.

"You smell like the kind of guy who would buy tacky jewelry from a market stall," she said, her face serious. He blinked at her a couple of times before she burst into laughter.

He leaned in close to her shoulder and sniffed dramatically. He could feel heat radiating from her. She didn't smell like freesia anymore. Now she smelled like cucumber and eucalyptus.

"You smell like the kind of girl who would fall asleep during a stake out," he said with equal seriousness.

"What a coincidence, that's the name of the perfume I wear," she said with a giggle. He couldn't help but crack a smile back at her.

A comfortable silence fell over them and Sakura turned her eyes back to the street below. He watched her with his peripheral vision, noticing the way she pressed the cuff of his jacket against her lips.

It was fully dark outside now, so if Izumi would be bringing him another gift, now would be the best time. But Itachi had a feeling that she wouldn't.

Sakura, too, seemed skeptical that Izumi would come. She kept a diligent watch on the road below, but she also seemed to want to talk.

"When you find out who it is, are you going to tell her that you don't like the red shirt?" she asked.

Itachi shifted back so that he was propped up on his palms as he lounged against the shingles behind him. "I don't want to hurt her feelings," he answered. "But she would find out eventually because I don't plan on ever wearing it."

"You should at least wear it one time for her," she said.

"I wore it for you. That was more than enough."

"Yeah, but there's no point in wearing it for me," she replied. "I'm not the one who gave it to you."

"If you want me to wear it for her, then I will wear it for her," he answered, not wanting to argue about something so silly.

"That's nice and all, but maybe you should wear it because _she_ wants you to," Sakura said dryly.

"Are you going to be disappointed if things don't work out for me and the mystery girl?" Itachi asked. He had to admit he didn't like the way she seemed to have a vested interest in his love life.

"I think it would be a shame if it doesn't," she said. "Because this whole gift thing is so romantic and will be such a sweet story to tell your kids. But if it doesn't work out, I won't be disappointed. As long as you're happy."

It was hard to disagree with her there so he turned his eyes back down to the street and watched the wind blow a stray leaf across the gravel.

"Itachi?"

"Yes?" he asked, flicking his eyes over to hers. She was looking at him with scrutiny and he felt a tingly nervousness in his stomach that seemed to spread upwards into his chest.

"How come you haven't had a girlfriend before?"

"How come you haven't had a boyfriend?" he asked defensively.

She put her hands up in a sign of surrender. "I wasn't trying to offend you," she said. "I was just curious. You don't have to answer, of course. I know it's a personal question."

"Why are you curious about a thing like that?" he asked, hoping she couldn't hear how out of control his heart was. This was a different kind of nervous than he was used to feeling. The worst part was that he didn't exactly know _why_ he was nervous. He wasn't ashamed of his answer to the question, but the line of questioning seemed too personal.

"This is going to sound silly," she said, twisting the cuff of the jacket around her fist. "But you've always been just Sasuke's older brother to me. Like, I obviously know that you are a person, but I didn't really see you as one, you know?"

That was a little disconcerting to hear, but he kind of understood. He had felt sort of the same way about her. She was just Sasuke's teammate.

"But you do now?" he asked.

She nodded. "When you asked me about your necklace," she answered. "I don't know why, but you seemed very human to me in that moment. I guess because the question blind-sided me and I realized that I don't know anything about you."

Itachi had blind-sided himself with the question. If she was using that as some sort of significant moment that reflected him as a person, she'd end up with the totally wrong impression.

"But now I know why you asked me about it," she said. "You thought I might have been the one who gave you the presents."

"You were a suspect, yes," he answered, because there was no way around that now.

"What would you have done if I had given them to you?"

Itachi looked away from her. How could he possibly answer a question like that? He could feel that she had shifted a little bit closer to him. He could feel her eyes still trained on him. With a sigh, he turned back to her and found her face far too close to his. He recoiled a little before she sat back on her heels.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Will you tell me why you've never had a girlfriend?"

"Same reason as you," he said. "I just haven't had the time."

"That was bullshit when I said it and it's bullshit now, too."

He smirked, amused by her admission and her foul mouth. She was even closer to him now, just a few inches separating their thighs. It was chilly outside, and in spite of the jackets, he still felt the bite of cold. He scooted a little closer to her until their thighs were almost touching and he could feel her heat.

"Alright, I'll tell you the truth," he said, encouraged by the fact that she didn't move away from him. "Being heir makes it difficult. Half of the girls my age want me just for my clan and my title. The other half are intimidated by my clan and my title. I don't want to waste energy that could be spent making me a better shinobi on relationships that will only fail in the end. If my parents pressure me to marry or find me a suitable bride, then I will consider it. But until then, I have no reason to be interested in having a girlfriend."

"So you don't want a girlfriend?" she asked incredulously. "That poor girl!"

"I never said I don't want a girlfriend."

"But you just said you don't want to waste energy on one."

"I don't want to waste energy on a relationship I know will fail," he said. "I have to think about the future of the Uchiha clan, too."

Sakura fell silent and he watched her watch the street. She looked upset. Her brow was furrowed and she pressed her lips together.

"Does that upset you?" he asked.

She shook her head with a vehemence that surprised him. "I'm not upset," she said. "I just feel bad for that poor girl who's been giving you this stuff. This whole time I was trying to help you so you could be with her. I didn't know you'd just reject her. Do you even care who it is?"

"I'm curious," he lied. "But you're right – I will reject her. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I'm not interested."

"So then why the stake outs? Why ask for my help?"

If Itachi hadn't already felt guilty for keeping Izumi's identity a secret from her, he might have lied to Sakura again. He had no clue what he was doing and Sakura made him feel not only nervous, but self-conscious as well.

"Initially I was motivated by curiosity," he answered. "But I continued to seek your help because I enjoy spending time with you."

"Really?"

He took in the surprise on her face, the way her eyes seemed a million times brighter than they were a moment ago. They seemed to glow almost eerily in the moonlight and he almost reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from her face but he stopped himself.

"Yes. I came to the same realization you did. We don't really know each other," he said. "I want to know you - not just as my little brother's teammate, but as a friend."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that."

He looked away from her again, more self-conscious than he had ever been before. It wasn't like he had admitted anything embarrassing to her. Wanting to be her friend wasn't so weird, was it?

"You're just going to have to accept the fact that if I'm your friend I'm going to be giving you a lot of unsolicited relationship advice," she said with a bright smile.

He smiled back. "Why should I trust relationship advice from you?" he joked. "If I need advice on how to deter men, I'll come find you."

She shoved him playfully. He fell back onto his palms again, watching her with amusement.

"I do not deter men," she insisted. "They're just intimidated by my strength and my reputation and my medical knowledge and my gorgeous face and my—"

"I get it," he interrupted, shoving her back gently. "Is that why you don't have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, exactly," she said, nodding. "I'm too much for them to handle."

"Is that a good thing?"

She laughed, but he could see that the question irritated her a little bit. He was a bit surprised that she would put on a fake smile for him. That didn't seem like her style at all, vivacious girl that she was.

"Maybe not," she said. "But I'm so perfect all around it would hardly be fair if I was great at romance, too."

Itachi noted her strange mixture of conceit and self-consciousness. Perhaps her arrogance was just a front for how troubled she actually was about not having a partner. She wouldn't have to try hard to find one, he thought. She was a beautiful woman and he found her very likable (even when she wasn't likable).

Maybe it had something to do with her crush on Sasuke, which, as Itachi recalled, lasted throughout most of her adolescence and childhood.

"I wouldn't use my brother as an indicator of whether you are good at romance or not," he said. "Sasuke is the least romantic person I could ever think of."

"I wasn't doing that," she snapped. He shifted away from her a little bit.

"I don't want you to think that the way he treated you was any reflection on you as a person," he continued, using his most appeasing tone. "Sasuke is a good person, but his standoffishness can sometimes be overbearing. I see how hard it is for people to get close to him. That's not your fault."

" _You_ seem to be pretty close to him."

"He's my brother," he stated as if that explained everything. In a way, it did.

"Well, I'm his teammate," she retorted. "I feel like that should mean something."

"It might mean something," Itachi argued. "You don't know what Sasuke is thinking. But even if it doesn't, that's not a reflection of you. If anything, Sasuke is the one in the wrong here. He's the one missing out, not you."

"Missing out?"

"On knowing you," Itachi answered. "That's his loss."

"Aren't I missing out just as much by not knowing him?" she asked. "He's your brother – I know you love him. Wouldn't you be missing out if he wasn't in your life?"

"Maybe," he said. "But I was missing out on you, too, and now that's been rectified. It's not too late for you to know Sasuke."

She gave him a wry look like she didn't believe him.

"Don't discredit him completely," Itachi said. "You never know what might happen."

She gave him a side-glance through her lashes which Itachi distantly noted were pink and full. "I guess being your friend means receiving unsolicited relationship advice, too," she said.

"If it works out, you'll be my sister-in-law."

"Not going to happen," she said. "Not with Sasuke, anyway."

"I don't have another brother," he said, bemused.

"Well, no, but there are other Uchiha," she answered. "We could be cousins-in-law. You know I have a thing for tall, dark, and handsome men. All you damn Uchiha men are frustratingly good-looking."

Itachi felt a hot blush rising to his cheeks because he was one of those frustratingly good-looking Uchiha men. Sakura didn't seem to notice.

"Shisui seems like a pretty nice guy," Sakura said. "He seems fun to be around, likable, and sweet. Do you know if he has a girlfriend?"

Itachi did know that Shisui was single, but the idea of Sakura and Shisui together made him feel sick for some reason.

"I thought you didn't have time for relationships."

"I'd make time for the right person," she answered easily.

"You think Shisui is the right person?"

"He could be."

"He isn't."

She turned to face him completely, angling her crossed legs so that their knees were almost touching. She had entirely abandoned her view of the street, and Itachi had a sneaking suspicion that she knew as well as he did that no mystery girl would be coming here tonight.

"What makes you so sure of that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him skeptically.

"Shisui is the kind of guy who needs to be taken care of," Itachi explained. It wasn't necessarily true in every sense, but it was true enough. Shisui's girlfriends tended to act more like mothers. He couldn't imagine Sakura taking on such a role – not for a boyfriend. Not for Shisui.

"I'm good at taking care of people," she reasoned. "I do it all day at the hospital."

"You're the kind of girl who needs to be taken care of," he argued. "You take care of everyone else, but you don't take care of yourself."

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You presume to know a lot about me, Itachi," she said.

"It's one of the things I like the most about you," he said, ignoring her sass. "You are selfless. You give without taking. Like with the girls from the brothel and Iori's staff. You put your needs last so you need someone who will put your needs first. Shisui isn't the kind of guy who will do that. That's why I don't think he's right for you."

"I'm not some helpless girl," she said, crossing her arms in a huff.

"I never said that you were."

"Fine," she said, uncrossing her arms. "Find me a more suitable Uchiha, then. Someone who will _take care of me_."

Itachi felt deeply disturbed to have to think through a list of all his family members to find one who would be a suitable match for Sakura. He supposed it was only fair from her perspective. She was helping him find his 'mystery girl' so the least he could do was recommend a guy for her.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like _he_ was the most suitable match for her. That was a ridiculous notion because surely being the older brother of her former crush was a bad thing. She was Sasuke's teammate, too – another entanglement that was probably best to just leave alone.

But she still needed to be taken care of, and Itachi liked to be needed. She was volatile and explosive – a perfect foil to his stoicism and reserved nature. She had gentle, healing hands, and he was one of the deadliest shinobi in the village. She was bright and warm in all the ways he was dark and cold.

It made perfect sense. Maybe those weird reactions his body seemed to have to her were there because she was something special. Maybe there was a reason why her touch didn't bother him so much.

It would take some more exploring, of course, but for the first time since he could remember, Itachi felt strong romantic feelings toward a girl. The very girl who sat before him, watching him with hopeful eyes, waiting to hear who her perfect Uchiha man was.

"I don't know," was what he said. He had wanted to say himself, Itachi Uchiha, the obvious perfect choice. But the idea that he might be rejected stung enough. He didn't need to know what it actually felt like.

"Ugh, you're the worst," she muttered, turning back to face the road. "I hope your mystery girl sucks."

Itachi would have laughed, but he still felt too shaken by his realization about her. He looked down toward the road, too, watching the wind lift a patch of leaves off the ground.

"I don't really."

"What?"

"I don't really hope she sucks," she clarified. "I'm just being a jealous bitch."

He felt that was a little harsh, but he didn't say anything.

"It doesn't look like she's going to come tonight," she said.

Itachi nodded in agreement.

"I should probably get going."

She got to her feet and stood next to him for a moment, gazing off toward the rest of the village. He got to his feet as well, following her gaze to the Hokage tower.

"Would you like me to walk you home?"

"I think I can manage," she said dryly, leaping off before he could stop her.


	4. Chapter 4

Itachi felt very uneasy about his conversation with Sakura. He needed some advice about her. He decided to go to Shisui for help because he was experienced with women and he was Itachi's best friend.

Of course, Shisui might not have been the best choice given Sakura's interest in him, but he would have to do for now.

"I never thought I'd see the day when little Itachi found himself a girl," Shisui said with an eye crinkling smile.

"She isn't my girl," Itachi said, feeling heat creep up his neck.

They were sitting on Shisui's patio, sipping tea and watching the fish swim around the koi pond. It felt nice to sit with his cousin and enjoy the beautiful weather, even if he had to endure Shisui's teasing.

"Who is it?" Shisui asked. "Is it that girl that left you those gifts?"

Itachi set his cup down and gave Shisui a curious look. "How did you know about that?" he asked.

"Your mother told me."

"So you know it's Izumi, then?"

"No, she didn't tell me that," Shisui said with a grin. "So you've got a thing for Izumi, huh? She'd be good for you. And she's an Uchiha – your parents will like that."

"I don't have a thing for Izumi," Itachi explained. "It's someone else."

Shisui raised an eyebrow.

"This has to stay between us, Shisui," Itachi warned.

"I'll take the secret to my grave," he replied solemnly.

With a sigh, Itachi began fiddling with the handle on his teacup. He wasn't sure it was such a good idea to be telling Shisui about Sakura, but he couldn't get solid advice from someone who wasn't aware of the entire situation.

"It's Sakura Haruno."

"Sakura!" Shisui exclaimed loudly. Itachi shushed him with a heated glare. "You like that feisty little shrew?"

"She isn't a shrew."

"Fine, harpy then."

"Come on, Shisui. She's not a harpy. She does have a bit of a temper, but she's a good person," Itachi said.

"Alright, alright," Shisui conceded. "So you like Sakura. I have to admit – she is a stunner. I definitely wouldn't mind letting her treat my injuries."

Shisui lifted his teacup to his lips and took a small sip. He looked calm, but Itachi could tell that he was more than a little surprised by the fact that Itachi liked Sakura. Itachi couldn't really blame him – Itachi himself was surprised by it.

"So how did this happen?" Shisui asked.

"We had a mission together," Itachi explained. "She's very smart. I enjoyed working with her."

Shisui narrowed his eyes. "And?"

"And, I spent a little time with her and I think I want to try to get to know her better," Itachi said. "She's intriguing."

He didn't want to admit that he had a more primal reaction to her than that. It was embarrassing enough to be discussing his love life at all, let alone the way Sakura's proximity made him feel butterflies.

"So ask her on a date or something."

Itachi shook his head. "I did something worse," he said.

Shisui sat up a little straighter. "You did something?" he asked. "What did you do?"

"Well, after the mission, I suspected that Sakura might have been the one to leave me the gifts," Itachi explained. "I hadn't figured out that it was Izumi yet and I had reason to believe it was Sakura. We went to Ichiraku's and I asked her about the gifts. She said it wasn't her, so I asked for her help in finding who it was."

"Why did you ask for her help?" he asked.

"She was really helpful during the investigative part of our mission," Itachi said. "I thought she could be helpful here, too."

"Was she?"

"She fell asleep on me during a stake out," Itachi said dryly.

Shisui laughed.

"But she was sort of helpful," Itachi continued. "I didn't end up needing her help anyway because my mother told me it was Izumi. But I appreciated that she was willing to help me."

"I see," Shisui said. "So what was it that you ended up doing that was worse than asking her on a date?"

"I continued to seek her help even after I knew it was Izumi," Itachi said, glancing down into his lap, a little ashamed of himself. "I asked her to stake out with me again last night."

Shisui laughed again, this time louder. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," he said. "You know that she's trying to help you find a different girl, right?"

"Yes," Itachi said, glaring over his teacup at his cousin. "I'm aware. She's even expressed that she hopes I end up with this mystery girl because the gifts were so romantic."

Shisui laughed again, causing Itachi to feel a little strand of irritation weaving its way through his chest.

"Don't laugh at me," Itachi said. "I need your advice."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Shisui said, still wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Here's the soundest piece of advice I have: girls will always find out the truth, so don't lie to them. You need to tell her about Izumi."

"But she'll be mad at me."

"Then tell her that you like her!" Shisui said. "Girls love feeling desired. You think Sakura wouldn't be happy to know that the Uchiha heir likes her? How long did she pine after Sasuke? You're a million times better for her than Sasuke."

"But if she doesn't like me then she'll be mad at me _and_ she'll reject me," Itachi said.

"You wanted my advice and that's it," Shisui said, crossing his arms with finality.

"Fine, then what do you suggest I do about Izumi?"

"Let her down easy," Shisui said, his tone softening. "She's a nice girl and it seems like she really likes you."

"Should I tell her about Sakura?"

"Absolutely not!" Shisui said. "That will only make her feel worse."

"Okay," Itachi said. "I'll tell Sakura the truth and I'll let Izumi down easy."

Three days later, Itachi hadn't seen Izumi or Sakura yet. He was nervous. He could admit it to himself. Izumi hadn't left him anymore gifts, which he was grateful for. At this point, he wouldn't feel comfortable opening another one knowing it was from her.

And he had made no effort to see Sakura again, even though he really wanted to see her. He wasn't sure what he would say and until he could be certain that he wouldn't make a fool of himself, he chose to avoid her.

Today, the woman niggling in Itachi's brain was his mother.

"So have you talked to Izumi yet?" she asked. She was standing near the sink, absently scrubbing at the dishes. Itachi sat nearby at the table, sharpening his shuriken.

"I have not," he said absently.

"Don't you think you should?"

Itachi shrugged. "When she is ready she will come talk to me," he said, hoping that would be the end of the discussion.

"What will you say to her?"

"I don't know."

Impatiently, Mikoto dropped the dish she was holding back into the sink and turned to face her son. "How can you not know?" she demanded. "Haven't you had enough time to think about her?"

"It's only been a few days," he said calmly, glancing back up at her briefly before turning his eyes back down to his shuriken.

"But you've known Izumi your whole life!"

"And in the entire time I've known her, I've never considered her to be anything more than a friend," he explained. "So seeing her as a potential romantic interest now takes a bit of adjusting."

"So you _do_ view her as a romantic interest?"

Itachi sighed and set his shuriken down on the table with a sharp thud. "Mother, I'd really rather not be discussing this right now," he said.

"Fine," she said prissily, turning back to the dirty dishes. "But your father and I aren't going to remain passive about this forever. Eventually you'll need to find a wife. You're getting to that age."

Itachi didn't respond because he felt like if he did, he wouldn't be able to contain a sardonic snap about how she was definitely not being passive at all.

He didn't really blame her for feeling the way she did. She was looking out for her son, for the Uchiha clan. Izumi was a smart match. It made perfect sense for them to be together. If Itachi had been thinking more logically, he might have already agreed to be with her by now.

But an ill-tempered, pink-haired, startlingly interesting kunoichi had gotten in the way.

"I love you, you know that, don't you, Itachi?" she asked. Itachi looked up at her, concerned by the seriousness of her tone. She was facing away from him, still scrubbing at the same dish which must have already been scrubbed completely clean by now.

"Of course," he said, furrowing his brow. "I love you, too."

"I only want what's best for you and the Uchiha clan," she said. "I know you are irritated by how meddlesome I am."

"Mother," Itachi started, getting to his feet. He approached her and took the dish and scrubbing brush from her hand and dropped them back into the sink. "I know you are worried, but you can trust me. I will find a suitable bride one day. I won't disappoint you."

She reached out and touched his cheek. Itachi could feel the soapy water on his skin, and underneath it, the pad of her thumb which she had used so many times to wipe tears from his face, or snot from his nose, or food from his mouth. He felt a sudden surge of affection for his mother, the woman who had taken care of him his whole life – the only woman who really had a place in his life at all.

"I know you won't," she said.

He pulled her into a tight embrace.

Not even an hour later, Itachi stood before Tsunade in her office, watching her shuffle through a stack of files on her desk.

He had been called to see her regarding a mission, which he was very grateful for. The timing couldn't have been better.

After locating the correct dossier, Tsunade passed it across her desk to him. He picked it up and began shuffling through the pages.

"There's a group of missing-nin from Mist causing trouble in a small village west of Konoha," she said. "Looks like run of the mill thievery and pillaging, but I want them taken out quickly just in case."

Itachi nodded. It sounded simple enough.

"I know it's not the most exciting mission ever," Tsunade said. "But after how desperate you seemed for a mission last week, I assumed you'd be a bit more excited to have one."

"I am pleased," he said respectfully. "The timing is perfect. I could use some time away from Konoha right now."

Tsunade quirked a brow, but she didn't ask him why.

"Well, Sakura told me how helpful you were at the hospital last week," she said. "She was very appreciative. So, I specifically chose you for this mission as a sort of reward."

Itachi felt startled. He hadn't expected to hear that Sakura had spoken about him with Tsunade, even in such an innocuous manner.

"Thank you," he answered, glancing back down at the dossier. The first page noted that there were at least five missing-nin in the squad. They were listed as being chuunin level, which was nothing that he couldn't handle. Five on one might be a bit of a challenge for him, but he could manage.

But it was still odd that she would send him on a mission with such unfavorable numbers.

"Is this a solo mission?" he asked. "I see that there are five Mist-nin listed on the dossier."

"You may assemble a team, if you'd like," Tsunade answered. "Or you can go by yourself if you wish. It's up to you."

Itachi was confident in his abilities, but he definitely preferred to play it safe. There was no reason to take on a challenge he might fail at the risk of Konoha's safety. He should take a team with him, just in case.

"I'd like to have a team," he said.

"Alright, just let me know who you plan to take with you before you leave tomorrow morning," she replied. "You're dismissed."

"I'm honored that you'd have me be a part of your team, little cousin," Shisui said, grinning from ear to ear.

Itachi rolled his eyes. Shisui had been his first choice, of course. He learned everything he knew about being a ninja from Shisui, so it was only natural that they be teamed up together. In fact, they took missions together on a regular basis.

"I'm sure between the two of us we can handle a handful of Mist chuunin," Shisui said.

"Yes," Itachi agreed, passing the mission dossier over to him. "None of them have kekkei genkai. Two of them are genjutsu specialists, which is unfortunate for them. One of them is a medic, one is a sensory type, and the last one is a long range weapons specialist."

"Oh yeah, we can definitely handle a group like that," Shisui replied, still grinning widely. He set the dossier down on the patio table and gave Itachi a wry look.

Itachi braced himself because he knew that look for what it was – the first indication of a scheme. The wind ruffled Shisui's curls around his face and played a few clanging notes on the wind chime hanging behind them. Itachi wasn't sure he was prepared for a Shisui scheme right now.

"Tsunade said you could assemble your own team, right?" Shisui asked.

Itachi nodded.

"You should ask Sakura to join," he said.

Itachi shook his head.

"Oh, come on, Itachi," Shisui said. "You want to spend time with her. This is a perfectly reasonable way to do that. It's not a date, so there isn't any pressure on you. What's the harm in asking?"

"She has her duties at the hospital," Itachi argued. "I can't take her away from that."

"That's a bullshit excuse, Itachi."

Itachi gave his a cousin a stony glare, his teeth clenched. But he had to admit he did find the idea appealing. It did seem like a good way to get to spend more with her without putting his heart on his sleeve.

"Okay," he conceded. "I will ask her. But it is likely that she will say no."

"I'd love to!"

Itachi gave an exasperated look to Shisui, who had clapped Sakura on the back and pulled her into a headlock.

"I knew it," he said. "Itachi said you'd be too busy to help, but I know you can't resist the opportunity to work with a couple of the finest Uchihas."

Sakura extricated herself from his grasp with a furious blush on her cheeks. Itachi felt a twinge of something he feared might be jealousy.

"Don't be cocky," she said, stabbing him in the chest with her pointer finger. "I just want to go on a non-medical mission for once."

"Well, Itachi had nothing but good things to say about you as a kunoichi," Shisui continued, much to Itachi's horror. "I'm sure you'll be a great asset to our team."

Sakura beamed at Itachi, which prompted a swirl of butterflies to kick up in his stomach. Then her brow furrowed and he watched her eyes dip down to his chest before venturing back up to his face.

"You're not wearing your necklace," she said. Absently, he reached his fingers up to his collarbone. He hadn't put his necklace back on since his last mission. Sakura had said he looked good without it, and he just hadn't felt to urge to wear it again since then. Not that he would ever tell her that. "Aren't you worried that will send the wrong impression to your mystery girl?"

He hadn't thought of that before. Obviously Izumi was aware that Itachi favored that necklace, thus the different colored one she had given him. Would she take him no longer wearing a necklace at all as a slight?

Feeling panic surge in his chest, Itachi glanced over at Shisui for help.

But Shisui looked highly amused by Sakura's line of questioning, and that was definitely not a good thing.

"Personally," Shisui drawled. "I think he's better off without that thing. Don't you agree, Sakura?"

Itachi knew for a fact that she did, but she only looked troubled by the question.

"It's not a big deal," Itachi said.

Sakura looked like she wanted to talk more about the necklace, but her glance at Shisui told Itachi that it was a line of questioning she would continue without his presence.

"Now, back to business," Shisui said. "We've got a good team assembled here. Any other additions you'd like to make, Itachi?"

Itachi furrowed his brow in confusion, looking at his cousin with wary eyes. Of course three shinobi were certainly enough for a mission like this one. They hadn't really needed Sakura, either.

"You want to ask Izumi to come, too?" Shisui asked, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "She's pretty good with taijutsu. She could be a big help."

Itachi's glare was heated enough that Shisui shrunk back away from him, but his eyes were still laughing anyway.

"Hell, no," Sakura said, thankfully rejecting the idea so Itachi didn't have to. "I'm not going to be overshadowed by _three_ Uchiha. You two are plenty enough."

"Now, Sakura, don't be jealous," Shisui said. Itachi was beginning to regret not just taking the mission solo.

"Jealous?" she shrieked. "I am not jealous."

"Shisui, stop provoking her."

Shisui gave Itachi a complacent shrug. Itachi had a really bad feeling about this mission.

The next morning, the trio left the Konoha gates before the sun had risen. Itachi wasn't particularly looking forward to the journey – it would be several days until they reached the village in question and with nowhere to stop in between, that meant camping at night.

Itachi wasn't averse to camping by any means, but it meant that he would have a lot of downtime with Sakura and Shisui, and after yesterday's conversation Itachi was uncomfortable with that idea. Shisui seemed determined to sabotage this whole messy situation.

And frustratingly, he also seemed to enjoy teasing Sakura.

"Can't you go any faster than that?" Shisui asked, tossing a glance at Sakura over his shoulder. "Itachi, I think you might have oversold her."

Itachi heard Sakura growl, but she didn't say anything.

Itachi didn't know what had gotten into Shisui. He seemed determined to make both Itachi and Sakura miserable. He kept sneaking references to Izumi or her gifts into casual conversation. And he relentlessly teased Sakura (mostly about her speed, which was admittedly slow).

Itachi didn't miss the way Shisui would catch Sakura's eye and grin. In between little jabs at her speed, her pink hair, her girly voice, Shisui would send her a wink or a sly smirk.

Shisui was flirting with her. It was in his nature to be flirtatious – Itachi had seen him charm half the women in the village. So Itachi knew that Shisui didn't necessarily mean anything by it, but he had hoped his cousin would have chosen to restrain himself for Itachi's sake.

It was also concerning because Sakura seemed to be quite worked up over it. Of course Itachi remembered that she had asked about Shisui back on his roof. She was definitely going to be susceptible to his charm.

"Hey, Sakura," Shisui said. He extended his open palm to her, which she regarded warily. "Watch this."

He did a few slight of hand tricks with a set of kunai. Itachi had seen those tricks a million times and was not impressed. Sakura, too, seemed unimpressed by the feat, shooting him an annoyed look.

"I bet you can't do anything nearly as cool as that," he said smugly.

"I can sever all the nerves in your dick with one finger," she said in a way that could only be described as sassy.

Shisui chuckled and leaned in closer to her. "If you want to touch my dick all you have to do is ask."

Itachi felt in own cheeks heating up. How could he say something like that to her?

"You pervert," she said, smacking him across the temple.

He winced, but chucked again. Silence fell over them again, with Shisui grinning goofily, Sakura fuming, and Itachi extremely disconcerted.

When they stopped to make camp that night, Sakura left to collect firewood while Shisui and Itachi set up camp.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Itachi asked once she was safely out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" Shisui asked with feigned innocence.

"Why are you teasing Sakura so much?" he demanded.

"She likes it," he said defensively.

"It's antagonistic."

"No, trust me," Shisui said. "She likes it."

Itachi shook his head disbelievingly. She certainly didn't seem to like it. But instead of arguing, Itachi helped Shisui set up the camp in silence.

He was definitely annoyed now because he didn't want Shisui to be flirting with Sakura, even if he was just showing Itachi what to do – even if Sakura didn't like it. It struck an odd chord with him and he felt confused and irritated.

When Sakura came back her arms were loaded with firewood. Itachi helped her arrange the wood and then used a jutsu to start a fire.

The trio sat in a silence for several moments around the fire, each of them watching the flames with detached interest.

Itachi glanced over at Sakura, watching the fire cast shadows over her face. Her jaw was clenched tightly and she kept sneaking glances over at Shisui. Itachi felt his heart constrict painfully. He hated to feel jealous. He wasn't used to it.

Shisui, seeming to sense Itachi's discomfort and the way Sakura's eyes lingered on him, got to his feet.

"I'm going to go for a walk," he said, dusting dirt from his pants. "And I'll take the first watch, so don't wait up for me."

Itachi and Sakura watched him walk away into the woods.

Sakura was fidgeting nervously, twisting her fingers up in her lap.

"Is something wrong?" Itachi asked.

She shook her head and then cast her eyes back in the direction Shisui had just walked. "No, nothing's wrong," she said. "Shisui is acting very flirtatious, though. He's not usually like that.

"I apologize for his behavior," Itachi said, scooting a little closer to her. "I don't know why he's antagonizing you so much."

Sakura smiled a little bit. "He's just teasing," she said. "Just flirting. It's harmless. It's kind of cute, actually. Do you think he likes me?"

Itachi swallowed hard, and because he didn't trust himself to speak, he only shrugged in response.

"I just think it's a little weird," she said. "Because Shisui hasn't ever expressed interest in me before. Wait. You didn't say anything about me to him, did you?"

Mutely, Itachi shook his head. She eyed him skeptically.

"Itachi, you better not be lying to me."

It was at that particular moment that Itachi felt himself spinning completely out of control. He was really out of his element with the whole romance thing. In combat, during missions, he knew exactly what to do. He always made smart, rational decisions.

But right now, he had no idea what was smart or rational. He had no concept of the appropriate way to handle the situation and it was terrifying. Of course Sakura was just a girl – his first crush, really. If things didn't work out with her, there were always other girls.

But he didn't want to push her away – he wanted to do this right. Even if he failed, he could learn from this experience. He could figure this relationship thing out. He was smart enough, determined enough.

And since his only frame of reference for that was Shisui, Itachi decided to give the antagonistic teasing a go.

"Or what?" he asked. It sounded too harsh, too much like he was threatening her, so he followed up the question with a smirk – a smirk he knew had a profound effect on a lot of women.

Sakura seemed to recognize that smirk for what it was. "Ugh, you fucking Uchihas," she muttered. "Always smirking and being handsome and shit. Can't you pretend you're not an Uchiha for a minute and just be my friend?"

That wiped the smirk right off his face. He had definitely not been expecting that.

"I am your friend," he said. "What's wrong with being handsome and smirking?"

"Nothing is _wrong_ with it, but it just… I just don't like it," she said. "Sasuke does it. Shisui does it. And now you, too. If anyone, I thought you would be the one Uchiha who doesn't use that bullshit tactic."

"What do you mean?" he asked, thoroughly confused. "What tactic?"

"Oh, come on," she said, rolling her eyes. "The entire Uchiha clan uses their good looks, intimidating eyes, and smirks to get what they want."

Itachi nearly laughed at that. He didn't think that was true at all, but he wasn't going to argue with her about it.

"What is it that you think Shisui wants?" Itachi asked.

"To get laid, probably."

Itachi pursed his lips. "I thought you liked him," he said. "Shouldn't you be glad that he's flirting with you?"

"It only makes me suspicious," she answered. "Of him, and of you."

"Why me?"

"Because I just mentioned a few days ago on your roof that I was interested in him and now he's flirting with me completely out of the blue," she said. He had to agree that she made a really good point.

"But if he thinks I'm going to let him fuck me and move on, he's out of his mind," she continued.

Itachi felt his cheeks grow warm. Sakura had quite a tongue on her, and though Itachi was getting used to it, her vulgar language still left him reeling sometimes.

"I don't think that's his plan," Itachi said.

"You know what his plan is then?" she asked.

Itachi shook his head. This was not at all going like he had hoped it would. "Can we change the subject, please?" he asked.

Sakura's face fell and she looked concerned. She reached out and touched Itachi's arm. "Yeah, are you okay?" she asked.

He couldn't look at her, so he fixed his eyes on where her fingertips touched his forearm.

"I'm fine," he said. "I think I'm going to sleep now." Without another word, he stood up and disappeared into his tent.

The next morning, the trio made their way toward their destination in silence. Shisui had apparently decided to back off Sakura because he only spoke to her when necessary and hadn't teased her once since they had woken up.

Sakura, on the other hand, had definitely picked up on Itachi's weird mood. He could feel her eyes constantly glued to him as they ran, and it thrilled him but also made him feel apprehensive.

After a few hours of traveling without speaking to one another, the group stopped. Itachi used his Sharingan to scan their surroundings. The Mist shinobi could be anywhere now, and they would need to keep a sharp eye out for them in case they were heading in the group's direction.

"It looks like they've been here," Shisui pointed out. Itachi looked where Shisui was pointing and saw what looked like footsteps in the dirt that had been smoothed over. He also noted a few broken twigs in locations that made it seem like the Mist nin were traveling north.

"Do they know we're after them?" Sakura asked. "Why would they cover their tracks like this unless they thought they were being followed?"

"It's always wise to cover tracks," Itachi said. "Especially this deep in enemy territory. But it looks like they purposefully misdirected us, or whoever they thought might have been following them."

"Right," Shisui said. "The tracks indicate they went north, but it seems likelier that they went south. They are probably keeping close to the river a few miles ahead of us. It will take them to other villages, whereas north of here is pretty much wilderness."

They followed their suspicions south, sticking close to the river and keeping alert in case they came across their targets.

After a few minutes, Itachi felt a chakra signature nearby. He motioned to Shisui who immediately leapt up into the cover of the trees. He looked back at Sakura, who also took his cue and followed Shisui up into the treetops.

Itachi noticed them lounging by the river. They hadn't seemed to sense they were being watched yet. All five of them were smiling and laughing, each absorbed in their conversation.

He didn't sense massive amounts of chakra from any of them and they seemed distracted as it was. This fight would not last long.

He reached into his pouch and pulled out three shuriken. He launched all three at one target – the medic. If he took her out first the other four would have no one to rely on if they were injured and somehow escaped.

At the last second, the girl – no older than Sakura was, Itachi noticed – dodged the shuriken, deflecting them back toward Itachi. She then made the very fatal mistake of looking directly into Itachi's eyes.

He captured her in a genjutsu and she immediately collapsed to the ground.

With their medic effectively taken out, the other four sprang into defensive positions.

"Leaf nin," one of them muttered.

"And an Uchiha at that," said another. "Don't look into his eyes."

"I'm not going to let you have all the fun," Shisui said, landing across from Itachi behind the four remaining Mist nin. They all spun around to face their new attacker. One of them was instantly sucked into one of Shisui's genjutsu and joined the medic on the ground. "This is too easy," Shisui said with a humored smile.

One of the Mist nin pulled several kunai from his pouch. With interest, Itachi watched to see who he would throw them at. It would be nearly impossible to hit Itachi or Shisui with a kunai given their kekkei genkai, so Itachi was curious to see whom the Mist nin would try to hit.

Itachi wasn't completely surprised when he threw the barrage of kunai above Itachi into the treetops.

He heard the sound of metal clashing – Sakura deflecting the kunai thrown at her. Itachi planned to use that moment of distraction to attack the remaining Mist nin, but to his surprise, a flash of pink slammed down onto the ground in front of him.

He leapt away from the wreckage, surveying the crater she had just punched into the ground. Or, more accurately, the shinobi who was unfortunate enough to have been between her fist and the ground.

The other two Mist nin had also leapt away from the crater and seemed to be pretty demoralized by the quick defeat of their comrades.

"Let's get out of here," one said to the other, a look of sheer panic in his eyes.

"Hold on," said Shisui, using his infamous body flicker jutsu to move to block their path. "I'm afraid we can't just let you leave. But don't worry, it will be painless."

Both the remaining Mist nin screwed their eyes shut and backed away from Shisui, reaching their arms out behind them blindly. Itachi grabbed one of them by the shoulders and spun him around to look at his face. His eyes were still shut tight.

"Open your eyes," Itachi commanded. He expected more of a fight, but the poor shinobi opened his eyes and immediately succumbed to Itachi's Sharingan.

Before his body had hit the ground, Shisui had already taken care of the last Mist nin, whose body slumped to the ground near Itachi's feet.

Shisui clapped his hands together dramatically, beaming over at Sakura, who was standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips.

"Would you look at that – mission accomplished," he said.

"Why did you even ask me to come on the mission with you?" Sakura asked. She was looking at Shisui, but Itachi somehow understood that the question was meant for him.

"It's never a bad idea to take a medic," he answered.

"And you did take one of them out for us," Shisui added. "Pretty brutally, if I may add. It's quite the beautiful juxtaposition – a svelte kunoichi like you raining down hell like that."

"Whatever," she said skeptically. "Show-offs."

By mid afternoon the next day, they had arrived back to Konoha safely. Tsunade seemed happy with the execution of their mission and sent them on their separate ways.

In spite of the overall sense of dread Itachi felt over the mission, he still felt compelled to stay close to Sakura. Ordinarily he might have felt like he needed some space from her, but leaving her while he felt so uncertain about things made him feel uneasy.

"Sakura, do you want to get something to eat?" he asked once they were outside the Hokage tower, loitering on the steps.

Sakura glanced at Itachi and then at Shisui.

"Sure," she said.

"Count me out," Shisui said, giving Itachi a not-so-subtle wink. Luckily Sakura didn't seem to notice.

"You weren't invited," Sakura mumbled just loud enough for Itachi to hear.

But it seemed that Shisui was able to hear it, too and he whipped back around to face her, a sly smirk on his face. "Don't act like you don't want me there," Sakura-chan," he said.

"I _don't_ want you there," she snapped. "And don't call me Sakura-chan."

"Alright, Sakura-hime," he replied smugly. "I'm off, then."

Shisui leapt to the rooftops and began running off in the direction of the Uchiha compound. Itachi watched his silhouette disappear with a little irritation. He would have to have a talk with his cousin about his behavior later.

But for now he needed to focus all his attention on Sakura.

"Does ramen sound good to you?" Sakura asked.

He looked at her, taking in the way her eyes were focused sharply on him. She no longer seemed to be irritated, merely waiting for Itachi's response.

"Ramen sounds good," he answered, even though he would really have rather taken her to a nicer restaurant. But that might have been overkill.

When they were back at Ichiraku's, each with a bowl of ramen in front of them, Sakura inhaled her food. She hadn't been kidding about that time of the month. Even as she was finishing her own bowl, she eyed Itachi's jealously.

He did not offer her any of his this time. He was hungry and wanted to eat it. If she asked, he probably would have handed it right over to her. But she didn't ask, so he ate in silence while Sakura watched.

It was an uncomfortable situation, but somehow he felt at ease next to her. She didn't seem even slightly bothered by the silence or the fact that she was sitting there without doing anything.

"Sakura," Itachi said between mouthfuls. "I'm sorry about Shisui."

She shrugged it off. "It's nothing I'm not used to at the hospital," she replied. "Although I'm beginning to wonder if something about me gives off the impression that I like antagonistic flirting."

"Do you not?" Itachi asked with surprise. She hadn't seemed to enjoy Shisui's teasing very much during the mission, but then later she had implied that it was harmless and that she didn't mind it.

"I don't hate it, I guess," she said, "but sometimes I wish guys would just… I don't know, be nice. I know they don't mean any harm by it, but it's not like I want to be teased all the time."

"You seem to tease other people a lot," he said, setting down his chopsticks and giving her his full attention. "Perhaps they are just reflecting your behavior back toward you."

"Wow, ok," she said. "So you're telling me I need to be nicer?"

"No, that's not what I meant," he answered. "I'm just giving you a possible explanation for why men treat you that way."

She eyed him skeptically, but then her face broke into a smile. "Well, at least you don't treat me that way, Itachi," she said.

He would if she wanted him to, he thought. He would be willing to try Shisui's tactics if he thought they would work. Maybe that made him no better than the guys who teased her.

"How _do_ you want to be treated, Sakura?"

"Like a person and not a sex doll," she said bitterly.

"I don't think Shisui was treating you like you are a sex doll," Itachi said, feeling the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks.

"No, that's exactly what he was doing," she argued. "Maybe he didn't intend to have sex with me, or whatever, but I know his tricks. Shisui has never been serious about a girl and if he was, he wouldn't treat her the same way he treats all those other girls. The way he treated me."

Itachi sighed, not quite believing what Sakura was saying. He knew Shisui better than she did. Shisui did spend a lot of time with other women, but Itachi knew that just because some of them were flings didn't mean all of them were. There had been plenty of girls Shisui had been serious about – plenty that had him just as smitten as they were.

But he also understood her frustration.

"You want to be taken seriously."

"Of course I do," she said.

Itachi sighed again. He felt guilt pooling in his gut. He had lied to Sakura, invited her on a mission just to spend time with her, tricked her into hanging out with him and unintentionally sicced Shisui on her. All she wanted was to be taken seriously and he had royally screwed that up.

"Sakura, I have a confession to make."

She glanced over at him with a raised brow and took another bite of her nearly gone food. Gently, Itachi grabbed her hand and pulled away her chopsticks from her mouth.

"Listen to me," he said as she pulled her hand away from him with confusion. "You were right that we didn't need you on the mission. I wanted to invite you because I like spending time with you."

Sakura looked even more confused than before. She furrowed her brow and made a weird, sad noise with the back of her throat. "I like spending time with you, too," she said. Even though Itachi could tell that she was being sincere, there was something about the placating nature of her tone that irritated him.

"And I know the identity of the girl who has been giving me gifts," he said, bracing for the full impact of her ire. "I initially did want your help with finding out who it was, but I continued to seek your help even after I knew because I liked being around you."

Sakura pursed her lips together in stony silence. Ordinarily, Itachi might have braced for the impact of her impending anger, but he was beginning to learn that her spontaneous outbursts of rage weren't as common as Sasuke would make it seem. Or maybe she just had more patience for Itachi.

"I'm sorry for deceiving you," he apologized with as much sincerity as he could muster.

She remained silent for a tense minute, staring down into her bowl. "Who is it?" she asked quietly.

Deciding that honesty would be the best policy here, Itachi answered her. "Izumi."

"Izumi," she repeated. "Izumi Uchiha. She would be a good match for you."

"So I've been told," he said wrly.

"And you're planning on rejecting her advances?" she asked.

"I had to sort out the way I felt before I could give her an answer," he explained. "And right now I feel more inclined to spend time with you than with her. So, yes, I plan to reject her."

"If you wanted to spend time with me, you could have just asked," she said accusingly. She looked up into his eyes, a mixture of curiosity and something heated (anger, perhaps?) in hers.

"I didn't want you to think I was trying to court you," he answered. He ignored the way she sniggered, feeling slightly ashamed of himself both for deceiving her and for being so clueless about how all this stuff worked. "I only wanted to get to know you better."

"I see," she said, something that was definitely not anger creeping into her tone. In fact, it now seemed like she was greatly amused. Itachi would have almost preferred her anger. "So you _don't_ want to court me?"

"Well, that's not… I don't—"

"Just be honest, Itachi," she said.

"Okay," he said, feeling exceptionally nervous. "I think I might have romantic feelings for you, but I want to get to know you better before I make a decision about that."

"What makes you think you have romantic feelings for me?"

Itachi didn't quite know how to answer that question. It could be that their proximity in the last week made him feel close to her in a way that perhaps he actually wasn't.

"I don't know," he answered, keeping in theme with his honesty.

"Well, I think I may know of a way you could test out your feelings," she said, poking his upper arm. The contact sent an immediate shiver up his spine. "And I could test mine, too."

She inched closer to him, her stupidly bright eyes wide and wavering. She was leaning in quite close to him now and she looked so beautiful up close. He almost reached a hand up to touch her face – her skin looked so smooth and he just knew it would feel like silk under his fingertip.

"What is it?" he asked in a near whisper.

She fluttered her lashes and Itachi almost felt like that was enough of a test right there. He would do anything she wanted if she fluttered her lashes like that when she asked.

"Kiss me."

She had done this on purpose, he realized. She lured him in with this seduction technique so similar to the one she had used on Saito in the brothel that Itachi should have been able to see it coming. Itachi would never have been bold enough to kiss her. Not here in the ramen stand. Not when he knew hardly anything about her. There were a million reasons not to kiss her.

But there were two very good reasons _to_ kiss her. One, she had told him to. Two, he really wanted to.

He reached out and laced his fingers into her hair, pulling her face to his. He had never kissed anyone before and the second his lips touched hers he wondered why he had waited so long. She tasted like ramen, and underneath like strawberry lip balm. She was warm and pliant and he felt her breath against him. He figured that maybe there would be fireworks or a spark (because that was what happened in those dirty books Kakashi was always reading).

But instead, what Itachi felt was a slow rolling heat building up in his chest. His fingers were shaking in her hair. He knew she must have been able to feel it. It was scary and it was exhilarating.

Feeling overwhelmed, Itachi pulled back away from her, but two tiny hands affixed themselves to the back of his head and held him in place. He reached up and grabbed her wrists (which he noted were exactly as soft as he figured they would be), but he didn't quite have the gumption to push her away from him.

After a moment, Sakura let out a contented sigh and parted her lips against his. Then he felt her tongue against his lower lip and a sharp gasp broke his lips apart as well.

Before Sakura could deepen the kiss further, an irritated 'ahem' broke them apart.

"Sorry, Ayame," Sakura said breathlessly. Ayame gave an annoyed humph before returning to wiping down the counters.

"Well?" Sakura asked, turning back to Itachi. He could still feel his heart hammering in his chest and the sight of her almost made it worse. Her lips were swollen and wet and her eyes were possibly even brighter than before. There was a pleasant flush in her cheeks and the beginnings of a smile played at the corners of her lips.

He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't quite know what to say.

"Maybe we should try again," she said, her eyes glittering with amusement. "You still seem a little confused."

He still wasn't sure what to say. No words were forming in his head, no thoughts completing themselves. What did she want from him now?

"Itachi?"

He chanced a look up into her eyes and saw a look of concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked, leaning back in toward him. "Was that too forward of me?"

"No, no," he said quickly. "I'm fine."

She leaned back on her stool, satisfied with his answer. "So?" she asked. "Did that give you a bit more clarity?"

"To be honest, Sakura," he began. "I don't know."

She perched her elbows on the counter in front of him and gave him a shrug. "I suppose that's fair," she said. "You should probably kiss Izumi, too. You know, to see if you guys have that spark."

He gave her an incredulous look. Now, he definitely didn't feel a 'spark' per se, but he did feel something – even if he wasn't sure what it was. He didn't like the idea that Sakura might not have felt anything. He didn't like that she was urging him to kiss someone else. It seemed wrong.

"I don't want to kiss Izumi," he said, nearly pouting.

"Well, what do you want, then?"

"I don't know."

She tossed her head back and laughed. Itachi didn't know what was so funny, but he enjoyed listening to her laugh and watching her smile.

"You're kind of a goober, Itachi," she said with a giggle.

"A what?"

"A goober," she replied. "You poor thing. You watched your cousin flirt with me during our entire mission. How come you didn't flirt, too?"

Itachi blushed and narrowed his eyes. "He was supposedly teaching me how to flirt," he answered. "And not doing a very good job of it."

Sakura squealed with laughter. "Teaching you?" she asked. "No offense to Shisui, but he should have known that teasing as a flirtation technique wouldn't work for you. Or on me, for that matter."

"Why wouldn't it work for me?" Itachi demanded, slightly offended that there was something she thought he couldn't do.

"You're a nice guy, Itachi," she said. "You don't need to play games. Honesty has worked pretty well for you, hasn't it? Pre-honesty, you were my friend. Post-honesty, you got to kiss me."

"It wasn't that special," Itachi said with aloofness.

"No," she said firmly. "The teasing thing doesn't work for you."

"That wasn't teasing," he said. "That was honesty."

She grinned at him and pushed her palm against his chest over his heart. "Do you think I couldn't feel how quickly your heart was beating?" she said teasingly. "Or how your fingers trembled?" she asked, moving her hand down to cover his.

He looked down at his lap where their hands were linked together.

"It seems to work better for me than it does for Shisui."

She snatched her hand away. "Make no mistake, Itachi," she said. "Your teasing is not what I find attractive about you."

He raised a brow at her, an amused smirk on his lips. "What _do_ you find attractive about me?" he asked.

"Everyone knows I've got a thing for Uchihas," she answered easily. "And you are simultaneously the _most_ and the _least_ Uchiha-like Uchiha."

"You're going to have to explain that one."

"Who could be more of an Uchiha than the Uchiha heir?" she asked. "That's you."

"Yes," he agreed, amused.

"And yet, unlike the other Uchihas, you are not a giant douchebag," she said. "And aside from a few slipups, you generally don't tease me. You're… you're nice. Sweet, I'd go so far as to say. Tender, maybe. Just a real pleasant guy, you are."

Itachi chuckled, but then set his face more seriously. "Yet it was Sasuke that you always wanted," he pointed out. "And then Shisui. And who knows how many other Uchihas in between."

"There was a reason I liked Uchihas so much, Itachi," she said. "We think we know what we deserve. I thought I deserved Sasuke. Sasuke could have hurt me over and over again and I would have been fine with it. Any one of you Uchiha could have taken his place. Sasuke is my age and he's on my team. Those things made him an obvious choice for me."

"Why would you have been okay with Sasuke hurting you?" Itachi asked. That didn't seem wise from a tactical standpoint. As a shinobi, he wouldn't be okay with another shinobi hurting him. Why did that logic not apply here?

"I don't know, Itachi," she said with exasperation. "I guess because I wanted to be with him so badly that I would have forgiven him for anything."

"But why did you want to be with him so badly?"

"I thought I deserved him."

Itachi bit back a frustrated sigh. Her circular arguments made no sense to him. He was supposed to be getting to know her better, but so far he was only more confused.

"And you don't deserve him now?" he asked.

"It's not about what I deserve," she said. "It's about what makes me happy. And that's not Sasuke."

"But you believe a different Uchiha could do it?"

"Look," she said, swiveling to face him and pointing an angry finger at his chest. "It's not like I'm obsessed with your family. If I don't end up with an Uchiha, I don't. I only mean that you guys have sex appeal. A dangerous, bad boy vibe that really gets girls going. It's not my fault. I'm as susceptible to Uchiha charms as any other girl."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"See?" she said, gesturing toward him like he was the answer to all her questions. "That is not Uchiha-like behavior. Apologizing."

"Is that why you don't like me?"

She froze, looking hurt and then confused and then angry. "Who said I don't like you?" she asked.

"I don't mean that you dislike me," he said hastily. "Only that when we were on my roof you were asking me to set you up with an Uchiha. You didn't consider me at that time."

"Well, you were right in front of me, Itachi," she said. "And you didn't present yourself as an option, so how could I have known?"

"I'm not—"

"I'm sorry, Itachi," she interrupted. "This conversation has gotten away from us. Maybe we should start over."

"Maybe I should kiss you again."

"Kissing is certainly easier than analyzing my romantic preferences," she said with a good-natured laugh. "But it's not going to solve our problem."

"What problem?"

"We still aren't sure about your feelings toward me," she answered. "My test didn't work."

With more gumption than he'd ever felt before, Itachi reached out and grasped the back of her neck to pull her into another kiss. She squealed in surprise – a noise which he swallowed as he moved his mouth against hers.

Once her surprise had faded, she sank into his kiss for a fraction of a second. That fraction of a second was pure bliss for Itachi. She wanted him – he could tell. He moved his hand from her neck to her shoulder to her arm. He could feel goosebumps on her skin.

But when that fraction of a second was over, she used a gentle hand on his chest to push him away. Her cheeks were flushed again and Itachi could see her pulse beating frantically in her neck.

"I think it worked," he said breathlessly. He reached out and touched her pulse, a wry smirk on his face. "Did Saito's kiss make your pulse race like this?"

She smacked his hand away and covered her pulse point with her fingers. "Who the fuck is Saito?" she asked.

"From the brothel," he said. "They guy you kissed to get the ledger."

"Don't get cocky, Itachi," she said. "You think you're the only guy who's ever made my heart beat faster?"

"You're the only girl who's made mine beat faster," he confessed.

"How many have you kissed?"

Itachi hadn't kissed anyone previous to Sakura, and he didn't mind telling her that. But he wasn't sure how she would react. Would she find it juvenile that he hadn't done something so integral in budding relationships? Or would she be pleased that he hadn't kissed anyone but her?

"One."

She reeled back in surprise. "Including me?" she asked.

"Yes, including you."

"Well, that's the problem," she said, much to Itachi's bemusement. "You don't know how another person's kiss would make you feel. You have nothing to compare mine to. You need to kiss someone else."

Itachi felt a burgeoning dread in his stomach. Firstly, he could tell that Sakura was about to force him to kiss someone – and he really didn't want to do that. Secondly, he didn't want Sakura to want him to kiss someone else. She should want to be the only person to kiss him. Isn't that how girls were supposed to feel when they liked someone? Did she not like him?

"I'm thinking Izumi," she said.

"No."

"No?"

"I'm not going to kiss her," he said. "I have no interest in her and I don't want to hurt her feelings. I already have to reject her affection. Kissing her will send the wrong message and it will upset her."

"Yes, you're right," she agreed, much to Itachi's relief. "That would be a bad idea. You need to kiss someone you _do_ have interest in. Or at least someone you find attractive."

Itachi sighed, resigned to his fate now.

"Who do you think is the most attractive woman in the village?" she asked.

"You."

"Be serious, Itachi. I'm trying to help you."

"I am serious."

She waved off the compliment like it was meaningless to her, but Itachi noticed the faint pink that tinged her cheeks and the way she glanced away from him demurely.

"Okay, fine," she said. "The second most attractive woman."

"Sakura, I don't want to kiss anyone else," he said. "If I wanted to kiss someone else, I wouldn't need your help to do it."

Sakura frowned. "You definitely needed my help to kiss me," she retorted.

"Not the second time," he argued. Then he leaned forward and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips. "Or the third."

He was amused to see that she was blushing again when he pulled away.

"Okay, now you're stealing them," she said. "That's not very romantic."

"You're right. That's a page out of Shisui's book. I'm sorry," he said. "Would you like me to be romantic?"

"How could a guy who hadn't even kissed someone until a few minutes ago know how to be romantic?" she asked teasingly.

"I'm a fast learner," he said. "I can figure it out."

"Not if Shisui is your teacher."

"How about you be my teacher, then?"

A wide grin spread across her face. "Okay, that sounds fun," she said.

"So what's my first lesson, Sakura-sensei?"

"Your first lesson is to pay for your date's meal," she said with mock seriousness. "Or at least offer to pay, because it's sweet and gentlemanly."

"I didn't realize this was a date."

"It became a date when you kissed me."

"I believe you kissed me first," he said, unable to contain his own grin.

"Not true, I asked you to kiss me and you complied," she said. "But you do have a point. And because I'm also your sensei regarding this matter, I will pay this time." She reached into her pocket and fished out a wad of bills and tossed them onto the counter.

"Sakura, I can pay—"

She reached out and grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers and pulling him off his stool. "Come with me," she said. "I've got another lesson for you."


	5. Chapter 5

Feeling giddy and a little high, Itachi followed Sakura to the village gates. She still had his hand firmly grasped in hers as she led him through the village and he could feel the heat of her palm against his.

He had no idea where she was leading him and when he asked her about it she only said that it was a surprise.

Itachi usually didn't like surprises, but if they were supposedly romantic then he could bear with it for Sakura's sake.

But after about an hour of chasing after her as she ran, it became clear that she was heading for the Valley of the End. It was starting to get late – the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and he could see the faint outline of the moon in the still mostly lit sky.

"Sakura, it's going to get dark soon," Itachi said.

"Since when are you afraid of the dark?" she asked, sending him a wry smirk over her shoulder.

When she turned back around he pouted. He wasn't afraid of the dark, but that didn't mean he wanted to be out in it for no reason. While they were still in Fire Country, there were plenty of threats here. Wild animals, bandits, missing nin – Itachi knew what lurked in the darkness and he didn't want to be put in a position where not only would he have to face one of those things, but he would have to protect Sakura as well.

But Sakura didn't stop running and Itachi didn't ask her to.

When they had finally reached the valley, Sakura stopped with her hands on her hips, surveying the scene before her.

"Isn't it magnificent?" she asked.

Itachi, too, looked around the valley – the massive statues, the river, the cliffs. By now the sun had vanished from the sky, replaced by a bright, full moon that cast silvery light over the earth. It _was_ magnificent.

"This is your idea of romantic?" he asked.

He had been teasing her, of course. This did seem pretty romantic now that he was here and could see the beauty in the landscape.

But Sakura shook her head and took hold of his hand again. "Not yet," she said. "Come with me." He followed her lead and let her walk him over to Madara's statue. From the base, she began to climb using chakra to keep her feet steadily adhered to the stone.

Itachi followed her, trying not to look up at her from underneath. He knew she had shorts on underneath that little pink skirt, but it still seemed inappropriate to sneak a glance and he felt heat blossoming in his cheeks again.

When they had reached the top, Sakura plopped herself down unceremoniously against Madara's stone hair. She leaned back against her palms and grinned at Itachi as he sat down beside her.

"Look," she said, "Look how fucking pretty it is."

She gestured broadly to the galaxy that had developed before them. The stars were thick in the sky, bright little pinpricks of light that mingled among swirls of blue and purple nebulas. Beneath the mesmerizing sky was the landscape of Fire Country, the river rushing beneath them, the densely packed trees of the forest they'd run through to get here.

Itachi had only been to the Valley of the End a handful of times – none of which were at night. Sakura was right. It was fucking pretty.

He looked over at her. Her face was tilted up toward the sky. The moonlight made her skin look white and her hair look pastel. He noted the aristocratic delicacy of her features from her profile – her small nose, pouty lips, and noble brow. She was fucking pretty, too, and looking at her brought him just as much pleasure as looking at the sky did.

"This is pretty romantic," he said.

She looked over at him and caught his eye. She was smiling, but unlike most of the other times he had seen her smile, this time she looked guarded and a little bashful. He inched closer to her so their legs were touching.

"It is," she agreed. "Stars and moonlight are always romantic. That's lesson two."

He glanced down at her hand against the stone. Her slender fingers were white-knuckled and she was shivering slightly. The night air was chilly, even colder as high up as they were.

But he didn't have a jacket to offer her, so he scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders. She leaned into his chest immediately, melting against him like she was designed specifically to fit there.

"You seem to have already picked up on lesson three," she said. "Huddling for warmth is also romantic."

He smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute, each letting their gaze linger on the stars

Itachi couldn't shake the weird, but pleasant feeling that was filling up his chest. It felt so intimate to be sitting here wrapped around Sakura, completely alone. They were so disconnected from everyone else in this moment, yet so completely connected to one another. He could feel every breath she took, every movement of the tiniest muscles in her body. He could even hear her heartbeat in the tranquil silence.

Is that why such a place was so romantic? Would he have felt like this if it were another girl up here with him? Could Izumi have been him feel this way? Could Ino?

"Itachi?"

"Yes?"

"I'll tell you something about me if you promise not to judge me," she said, nestling closer to him.

"I won't judge you," he promised.

"I've been coming here since I was a kid," she said. "I would sneak out of the village on my days off and come sit on Hashirama's head. Sometimes for hours at a time."

"Then why are we sitting on Madara's head now?"

She turned her face in toward his chest, burying it against his collarbone so that he couldn't see her. "Promise not to judge me," she said again, her voice muffled, but not enough that he couldn't detect a sense of hesitancy from her.

"I promise."

"I liked to sit on Hashirama's head so I could see Madara," she answered. "I thought he was so attractive."

Itachi felt a smile tug at his lips, because that was definitely something he was silently judging her for.

"You really do have a thing for Uchihas," he said with a trace of humor.

"Yeah, well, I figured we'd have a sit on Madara today because I've got a different Uchiha to look at this time," she said.

He chuckled against her hair. "You're not even looking at me," he said.

"Yes, now I'm looking at Hashirama because I hadn't realized until now that he's just as attractive as Madara," she answered.

"Then it seems your Uchiha fever has been cured," he said with a chuckle. "So let's get out of here."

"No," she said, placing her palm firmly on his chest even though he had made no move to get up. "I haven't kissed you yet."

He didn't need anymore of an invitation than that, so he grabbed her chin and tilted it toward his face so he could kiss her.

Before their lips could touch, Sakura pushed him away roughly. "Not yet," she said, shivering again because now they were too far apart.

"Why not?" he asked, too curious to feel offended.

"Trust your sensei," she said. "I know about these things."

He let out a sharp laugh. "Do you?" he asked. "Because if I recall correctly you haven't been involved with anyone romantically before."

She glared at him through her lashes. "That depends on your interpretation of 'involved,'" she said.

"Have you brought anyone else up here before?" he asked, now curious as to what types of 'involvements' she had with other people.

"Yep."

He shifted a little closer to her. They still weren't touching, but he could feel her heat now. "Will you tell me who?" he asked.

"Ino."

"Ino?"

"Yep."

"I see," he said, even though he didn't really see. "And were you ever romantically involved with Ino?"

"Ino is the exact opposite of my type."

"Because she's a woman?"

"Because she's got blonde hair and blue eyes, dolt."

He couldn't tell whether or not she was joking. He peered at her with wry amusement, waiting for her to explain, but she merely stared off toward the statue of Hashirama.

"Can I kiss you now?"

"Just wait, Itachi," she said firmly. "You'll get your kiss."

He couldn't really argue there because up until a few hours ago he had never kissed anyone and at this point he had kissed her several times.

Not that he thought any less of her for it, but Sakura seemed to be pretty loose with her kisses and he felt a burning hot jealousy that there were probably many other people out there who had gotten to kiss her – including Saito.

"I like how eager you are, though," she said. "I like knowing how badly you want to kiss me."

"Would you say it's romantic?"

"Very."

She was looking at him with wide eyes and something he didn't want to presume was admiration. He wondered if she would come here to see him if it was a statue of his own likeness instead of Madara's.

He reached out and touched her cheek, brushing a lock of her hair away from her face. He let his fingers linger against the softness of her skin as she watched him with wide eyes. He could see that pulse again in her neck and he felt a surge of pride in himself knowing he could do that to her.

She brought her hand up to his wrist, holding onto it, but not pushing it away. Her fingers were cold against his skin, but it didn't bother him – especially not when she started rubbing gentle circles with her thumb.

With his other hand, he brushed his thumb across her lower lip and leaned a little bit closer.

"Don't kiss me," she warned.

"I won't," he said, leaning even closer still. Their noses were scant centimeters apart now. He could feel her breath on his face and hear every labored intake. Her eyes were heavy lidded and her lips had parted, whether intentionally or not. "But I wish you would tell me why."

"You'll see soon enough," she whispered. She let go of his wrist and moved her fingers to ghost across his cheekbone. He shuddered under her frigid touch, but leaned into it nonetheless.

"You're very handsome, Itachi," she said, her lips quirking up slightly at the corners.

Heat curled upwards in his stomach like smoke. He had never experienced a desire to kiss someone so strongly before. It would be so easy to close to few inches between their mouths. He could feel himself being pulled to her like a magnet. He let his eyes drift away from her lips and up to her eyes only to see that hers were closed as she leaned in toward him.

She was practically begging to be kissed.

And, well, Itachi certainly wouldn't deny her that.

He closed the distance between them, but the second before his lips touched hers, a shrill cry ripped from her throat.

Alarmed and a little annoyed, Itachi recoiled from her, leaning back against his palms again.

"Look!" she said, springing up to her feet. She pointed straight up to the sky, tilting her chin up to see the stars again.

Only this time, Itachi noted, the stars were falling. _Falling_.

He stood up beside Sakura and turned his face up to the sky, watching. He watched as the stars streaked down across the sky, leaving glittering trails behind in their wakes. He had never seen anything like it.

"A meteor shower?" he murmured, more to himself than to Sakura.

"A fucking meteor shower!" she exclaimed.

"How long did you know it was coming?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, grabbing the sides of his face roughly and pulling him down into a kiss. Itachi's hands flew to her waist. She moved her arms behind his neck and pressed herself fully against him, allowing Itachi to stand up straight, lifting her feet a few inches off the ground.

He could feel the intense heat coming from her body where their breasts, bellies, and thighs were pressed together. Then, in the middle of their kiss, Itachi felt Sakura smile. Then she giggled.

"What's so funny?" he whispered against her lips.

"This is so romantic," she said. "Probably the most romantic thing that's ever happened to me."

"It didn't just happen to you," he said, pulling farther away so he could see her face. "You made this happen."

"You started it."

"I didn't know what I was doing," he said, grinning down at her. "I still don't."

She grinned back and he let her slide back down so that her feet were back on the ground. "Well?" she asked. "What do you think now? Are your feelings a bit more clear?"

Itachi wanted to feel like he had achieved clarity. Whether this was a carefully orchestrated plan by Sakura, or just chance that he would end up kissing her underneath a meteor shower in arguably one of the most beautiful places in Fire Country, it certainly made him feel a swell of emotion and affection for her.

And it didn't really matter now that it could have been Izumi or Ino up here with him. He might have felt these same feelings toward either of them – or any of the other women in the village, for that matter.

But it wasn't any of them. It was Sakura. And while he wasn't so sure that he could say it under any other conditions – that didn't matter either. These were the conditions. And under these conditions, Itachi thought it would be very possible that he could grow to love Sakura.

"I believe they are," he said.

"Of course they are," she said smugly. "It would be impossible to kiss me under a meteor shower and not fall in love with me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," he said with a grin.

"Excuse me," she said. "I believe that _I_ am the romance expert here."

"But I'm learning quickly. I can learn to out-romance you," he said. He leaned in close to her again, pressing his lips against hers softly and chastely. "And I think I'm going to."

The next morning, Itachi woke with an unstoppable smile on his face.

His mother had cooked breakfast for everyone, and in his chipper mood, he found pleasant conversation with Sasuke about different shuriken techniques. His mother (who had abandoned the topic of Izumi) promised to pick up some dango for him on her way home. His father, who was a little less surly than usual, agreed to show him a fire jutsu that was unique to their branch of the family.

Sasuke, wanting in on this action, begged to be a part of the training session until Fugaku eventually relented and allowed him to tag along.

Itachi was grateful for his little brother's presence. He often had to reject Sasuke's attempts to spend time with him due to his bustling schedule on the mission roster. However, peacetime in Konoha allowed for much more quality time, and Itachi wanted to spend as much time with Sasuke as he could.

So the pair sat side by side on the dock, dangling their feet over the water below while they watched their father warm up ahead of them.

Fugaku was truly a shinobi to be admired. He had a real athleticism that many people with kekkei genkai or other special jutsu often neglect. It was a true pleasure to watch him expertly display taijutsu moves.

When he had decided that he was warmed up enough, Fugaku cleared his throat to attain his sons' attention.

"This technique is extremely dangerous," he warned, "and should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Today, I will be showing it to you over the river because (as you will see) the potential for disaster is tremendous. Now watch closely."

Itachi trained his eyes on his father's hands as they ran through the jutsu's signs. With his Sharingan activated, he caught each hand sign and committed it to memory. Sparing a glance at Sasuke, Itachi noticed that his little brother had done the same. Fugaku sucked in a deep breath, his chest expanding drastically as he leaned back away from the water.

He then lunged forward and exhaled sharply, sending a several thick columns of smoky fire straight up into the air over the water.

Itachi and Sasuke craned their necks upward to see their father's creation. The columns winded high up into the cloudless sky, spiraling upwards until they hit a peak. Once they had begun to descend, they each exploded, causing sparks and plumes of fire to cascade down into the river like fireworks.

Itachi could see why such a technique had potential for total devastation. Its area of effect was wide and the river became tumultuous under the jutsu's assault.

When the fire had faded down and the river was nearly calm again, Fugaku turned back to his sons with an expectant look on his face.

"You first, Itachi," Fugaku said.

Itachi stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. He took his father's place and Fugaku stood beside Sasuke, watching his eldest son expectantly.

Running the hand signs through his mind one final time, Itachi executed them in perfect order. He sucked in as massive a breath as he could hold and blew his unique combination of fire and chakra straight up into the air.

As expected, similar columns of fire shot up into the sky before falling down and exploding into sparks. The river broke and sloshed as fire pelted down into it. It hadn't been quite as large as his father's, but his execution had been perfect and he felt accomplished in having successfully learned the jutsu. With some practice, he could create a larger area of effect, or maybe even make other sorts of modifications to the technique.

"Well done, son," Fugaku said. Itachi looked back at his father to see the barest hint of a smile gracing his features. "Sasuke's turn."

Sasuke stood up and brushed past Itachi, giving him a smug look as he passed. "I'll show you how it's done," he said.

With amusement, Itachi joined his father on the other side of the dock and watched as Sasuke prepared to execute the technique. He watched Sasuke perform each hand sign, suck in a deep breath, and exhale sharply.

With his Sharingan, Itachi noticed that Sasuke had not exhaled forcefully enough. His hand signs had been perfect and the amount of breath held in plenty. But without enough force behind his exhale, his mixture of fire and chakra peaked too low in the sky. It came barraging down in front of him, causing the now heated water to splash up over the dock. The three Uchiha leapt away toward the grass, just barely dodging the potential burns.

Itachi glanced at his father, who was looking at Sasuke with a look of obvious disappointment. Itachi felt a twinge of sympathy for his little brother, who had only wanted to join his father and brother for the day. It wasn't as though he had done a bad job. It was only his first attempt. Itachi had full confidence that Sasuke could eventually nail the technique.

"Your exhale wasn't forceful enough," Itachi said, intervening before his father could speak. "Try again. I'm sure you'll get it this time."

"No," Fugaku said. "He's too young. I should not have showed him a technique this dangerous. Sasuke, you can try again when you are older."

"I can do it," Sasuke protested. "I just need to practice."

"I said no," Fugaku said firmly.

Sasuke's eyes flicked over to Itachi. Itachi could see the pain and the confusion in his features, but he could do nothing more than offer a sympathetic shrug.

When Itachi returned home, there was an envelope taped to the front door. It had his name written on it in what he now knew to be Izumi's handwriting. With a sigh, he ripped the envelope down and stared at it bleakly.

He shouldn't open it, he thought. He didn't need to know what the letter inside said. It would make no difference, and it might expose some of Izumi's more private thoughts – thoughts that she might not want him to know if he was planning on rejecting her.

Deciding that this had gone on for long enough, Itachi told Sasuke he'd be back soon and went off in search of Izumi.

He knew where Izumi lived because he had known her for his whole life. They had gone to the academy together and had even gone on quite a few missions together. In spite of how long he had known her, he didn't feel like he knew her very well. His knowledge of her was shallow at best.

It prompted him to wonder what she saw in him in the first place. He knew he was more reserved than most people. What could Izumi have seen in him to make her have a crush on him?

He knocked at her door, the envelope clutched tightly in his fist. He waited for a moment, hearing shuffling on the other side of the door. Then it swung open, revealing a very surprised look Izumi.

Her eyes were wide with shock, her hair long and loose around her shoulders. She was dressed in her shinobi gear and he could see a pack near her feet at the threshold to the door.

"Itachi-kun," she mumbled with confusion.

Itachi twisted his lips together with regret. If she was about to go on a mission, perhaps he should wait until she got back. It wouldn't do to cloud her mind with dark thoughts while she needed to be focused.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He extended the envelope to her, unopened and a bit crinkled. Her face flooded with heat, the hot red color burning all the way up to the tips of her ears.

"Oh," she said. "You realized it was from me?"

He pushed the envelope into her hands and nodded.

"You didn't even open it," she said, a darker tone approaching her voice.

"I know," he said apologetically. "I knew it was you who was leaving me the gifts. My mother told me."

"Oh."

"Thank you," he said, unsure of the most tactful way to do this. He had never had to reject someone so directly before. "I appreciated them."

"Why didn't you read the letter?"

Itachi felt a knot in his stomach at hearing the pleading, somber note in her voice. She was already sad and he hadn't even told her what he had come here to say yet.

"I didn't think you would want me to," he said. "Because I don't think I can return your feelings."

Her eyes flashed red and Itachi took a minute step back away from her. "You don't even know what my feelings are," she said fiercely. "You didn't read the letter."

"I will read the letter if you still want me to," he said.

"No," she said, tearing the envelope and letter inside in half. "It obviously doesn't matter now."

"I don't want to hurt your feelings, Izumi."

"Whatever," she said, giving him a final glare before she reached down and picked up her pack, heaving it onto her shoulders. "I have to go."

"Are you going on a mission?"

She brushed past him, knocking into his shoulder with more force than was probably necessary. But if she needed to vent a little frustration, he could at least give her that.

He was a little annoyed that she didn't answer him, though. He watched her storm away, feeling a little guiltier than he should have. It wasn't as though he had done anything wrong. Maybe he should have told her sooner, or maybe he should have at least tried to give her what she wanted.

With a resigned sigh, he pulled her front door shut and went back home.

When Itachi arrived back home he found Sasuke perched on the roof, staring out into the street. Itachi noted the grouchy look on his face and the way he kept his head ducked down low.

"Still upset about earlier?" Itachi asked, settling down beside his brother.

Sasuke grunted.

"He's only that way with you because he wants to protect you," Itachi consoled. "You're his youngest son."

"I don't need to be protected."

"Everyone needs to be protected," Itachi said. "That's just the way it works. Everyone protects each other. Father has good reason to want to protect you. I want to protect you, too."

"Yeah, well if Father would just let me show him he could see that I'm perfectly capable of doing the protecting, too," Sasuke whined.

"He'll come around."

"I don't remember him being that protective of you," Sasuke said accusingly. "There was nothing Father didn't let you do."

Itachi dragged his eyes away from the street and let them settle on Sasuke's face. He was still brooding, but he had relaxed his posture and uncrossed his arms. "There were plenty of things Father didn't let me do," he said.

"Like what?"

"Let me eat sugar."

"You eat dango all the time!"

"Yes," Itachi agreed. "I do now. But before you were born I had never tasted sugar in my life. Mother asked him to let me have dango on your birthday and he relented. I didn't have the urge to try it. But once I'd tasted…"

"Are you serious? You didn't eat sugar until you were five?" Sasuke asked.

"It's true."

Sasuke cracked a weak smile.

"Eating dango reminds me of the day you were born," Itachi said.

Sasuke's smile widened. "Is that why you like it so much?"

"No, it's delicious. That's why I like it so much," Itachi said dryly. "I just happen to connect it with the day you were born."

Sasuke chuckled and the two brothers fell into a comfortable silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Truthfully, Itachi did have a particular fondness for dango because of its connection with his little brother. Of course Sasuke's head was big enough already, so he couldn't tell him that.

Itachi looked up at the cloudless sky, leaning back comfortably against the roof. It was still light outside, but he could see the moon and what he presumed was the tiny pinprick of another planet in the distance.

He stared at the moon for a moment. He wondered what Sakura was doing right now.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke grunted.

"Is there a reason why you've never had a girlfriend before?"

"A girlfriend?"

"Or any romantic interest," Itachi clarified.

Sasuke answered with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know," he said. "It's not that important to me right now."

Itachi responded with a grunt of his own and turned back to the moon. He wasn't surprised that his brother felt that way. He was still young and was more focused on his skills as a shinobi than anything else.

"Besides," Sasuke said, prompting Itachi to look back in his direction again. "I always figured you would do that first, you know? You're older."

Itachi smiled knowingly at his brother. "I don't get nearly as many women interested in me as you do," he said.

"Yeah, I don't get what that's about," he answered. "I clearly am not interested in any of them, but they still fawn all over me."

"That's precisely _why_ they like you, Sasuke," Itachi said. "People want what they can't have."

"Is that why _you_ don't have a girlfriend?" Sasuke asked with a touch of deprecating humor. "Are you too available?"

"Who says I don't?"

"Are you seeing Izumi now? I saw you take that letter with you when you left," Sasuke said. "Did you go talk to her?"

"I did," Itachi said. "I told her I couldn't return her feelings."

"That was tactful of you," Sasuke said dryly.

"It'd be wise for you to learn some tact as well," Itachi warned. "You might not be interested in women now, but there will come a day when you are, and they're going to remember all those times you called them annoying."

Sasuke shrugged again. "I can always fall back on Sakura," he said.

Itachi held back a cringe. How would Sasuke feel if he knew that Itachi had kissed her? He debated whether or not he should tell him. The omission somehow felt dishonest, even though Itachi knew he had no obligation to tell Sasuke about his romantic involvements.

"How sweet," Itachi said dryly. "I'm sure she'd love to hear that."

"She _would_ ," Sasuke insisted. "She's practically obsessed with me."

"I thought you two had a falling out," Itachi said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the conversation now. "I noticed Team 7 doesn't go on missions with her anymore."

"She's still on Team 7," Sasuke said. "She's just too busy usually to go on missions with us. And unless we have a need for a medic, she just gets in the way most of the time."

Itachi had a feeling that her being in the way had more to do with Sasuke's feelings toward her and less to do with her actual skill level. She had certainly been helpful on their first mission, though Itachi did have to admit that her volatility raised some concerns.

They fell into silence again. Itachi felt a little annoyed now because he knew that what he was feeling was jealousy. He didn't like the fact that Sasuke and Sakura were even a possibility, or that Sasuke thought so little of Sakura and yet still thought of her as a potential future spouse – like she was his possession, a trophy.

He was also saddened because he knew that he would stop pursuing Sakura if Sasuke wanted him to. He hoped that Sasuke wouldn't want him to.

"Why are you asking about that stuff?" Sasuke asked. "Are you interested in someone other than Izumi?"

"No," he lied. "I'm not."

The next morning, Itachi made his way to the Hokage tower again to receive his next set of orders. Before he had quite made it there, he heard ringing peals of laughter coming from across the street. He glanced in that direction and found Sakura walking toward the hospital, followed closely by a group of young girls – one of whom he recognized to be Eika, the prostitute he had first spoken with at the brothel.

Sakura was smiling warmly at them as she led them through the hospital entryway, gesturing broadly toward the building. She stopped and began speaking to them. Itachi couldn't hear what she was saying, but it looked to be some sort of tour. She then pointed to the Hokage tower, which Itachi was now standing in front of while he watched her.

She caught his eye and waved, her smile widening when she saw him. The girls turned to look at him, too, and Itachi felt a brief nervousness with all their eyes on him.

"Good morning, Itachi-san!" she yelled. "Come introduce yourself!"

Itachi wasn't particularly interested in introducing himself to the girls, but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to speak with Sakura. He walked over to them and hoped his smile didn't portray any of his nervousness.

"Good morning, Sakura," he said.

"Itachi, these are some of the girls from the brothel," she said. "They're going to start training to work in the hospital today."

"I see," he said, smiling in particular at Eika. "Are you going to be overseeing their training?"

"Yep," Sakura said brightly. "Shizune and I will be showing them some basic first aid today."

"Well," Itachi said, addressing the group of girls, "I can assure you that you are in very capable hands. Sakura is the best medic nin in the entire world, I'm told."

The girls each gave Sakura a look of awe while Sakura beamed, accepting the compliment with pride bordering on arrogance. Itachi found it immensely amusing.

"Itachi-san is one of the best shinobi in Konoha," Sakura said. "He's the heir to the Uchiha clan and a top ANBU operative."

The girls looked up at Itachi with the same awe they had shown Sakura. He was struck for a moment by how incredibly young they seemed. Of course in the shinobi world, children were often forced to grow up much sooner than maybe they should. But they seemed too innocent to have come from the line of work they had.

"Are you on your way to see Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, I'm hoping to get new orders today."

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" she asked. "Could you take these research notes to her? She needs to approve them before I can move forward with it and I'm sure I won't have time to see her today."

"Of course," Itachi said. "Do you mind if I ask what your research is about?"

"It's boring stuff," she said. "It's about zoning and building codes and permits and stuff. It's for a children's psychiatric ward I'm hoping to start up."

"That's impressive," Itachi said, surprised by the ambition. He watched her fish a thick file from her pack and hand it over to him.

"You can say that after I've done it," she said. "I've got to get going. Busy day ahead. It was nice seeing you, Itachi!"

"Nice seeing you," he echoed. He watched her lead the girls through the hospital doors before he turned back to the Hokage tower.

"Sorry, Itachi, I've got nothing for you."

Itachi tried not to outwardly show his disappointment. It was supposed to be a good thing that there were so few missions to take. It meant that there was general peace in Fire Country.

But the boredom was just too much.

"You know, Itachi, now would be a good time for you to take a vacation," Tsunade said. "You have accrued plenty of leisure days with all your service in ANBU."

"Vacation?" he asked. "You mean away from Konoha? But what if something happens?"

"No offense, Itachi, but we're more than capable of protecting the village without you," she said.

"But where would I go?"

"Wherever you want to go."

Itachi furrowed his brow. He had never thought about taking a vacation before. He couldn't even imagine where he would want to go. Wouldn't he be just as bored anywhere else as he was here in the village?

"What would I do?"

"Umm, you would relax," Tsunade said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You've never been on a vacation before?"

He shook his head.

"Go to a resort or something," she replied. "Drink booze and eat fancy food. Sleep all day, party all night."

Itachi grimaced.

"Yeah, you're not much of a partier, are you?"

He shook his head.

"Well, sorry, Itachi, I can't do anything for you right now," she said. "Go home and spend some time with your family. Think about taking a vacation sometime soon. It might be good for you."

Itachi nodded, feeling a little disappointed. He would consider what she had said. Maybe there were some advantages to going away for a vacation.

"Okay, I will consider it," he said, sliding Sakura's research file across Tsunade's desk. "By the way, Sakura asked me to give this to you."

Tsunade picked up the file and flipped through the pages. "Oh, this," she said, seemingly annoyed.

"Something wrong?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Just an expensive side project I need to deal with."

"Is there a part of the project I can help with?"

Tsunade looked up at him with a bemused expression. "Are you really that bored?" she asked. "Or did Sakura put you up to this?"

"She only asked me to bring you the research," he said. "But if this project is important then I'd be happy to help in whatever way I can."

She regarded him skeptically. "I know this isn't what you want to hear," she began, "but we could really use some funding for this. If you can get your family to fund the project, I will name it after your clan and give Sakura full control."

She was right that it wasn't what he wanted to hear. Funding the project wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He would have to speak to his father about that, as Itachi wasn't allowed to touch to clan's accounts until he had become the head. The likelihood of his father wanting to fund a project like this was not good.

"I will speak to my father, but I can't promise anything," Itachi said.

"Thank you," Tsunade said. "And I'm sure Sakura thanks you as well."

"A children's psychiatric ward?"

Itachi nodded, already not liking his father's tone.

"How would it benefit the Uchiha clan to fund this?" Fugaku asked. "This is a lot of money to spend on something that isn't going to do much for our family."

"Father, a children's psychiatric ward is good for the village," he argued. "Uchihas most of all should understand the need for good mental health. The Curse of Hatred already claims too many of our own. We should be striving to prevent that."

"And you think this ward could do that?" Fugaku asked bitterly. "Since when has Konoha shown interest in helping the Uchiha?"

Itachi wasn't sure how to respond to that. He didn't feel the same prejudice against the village that his father did, so he couldn't understand that argument.

"The project would be overseen by Sakura," Itachi continued. "She's Sasuke's teammate. She's the number one medic in the country. She is more than capable of handling this kind of research."

Itachi didn't know that for certain, but he had full faith in Sakura's abilities.

"I'll think about it," Fugaku said. "But I don't think this is a great idea."

Three days later, Itachi sat at Ichiraku's alone, sucking down a well-deserved bowl of ramen. He had sparred all day with Sasuke, showing him new fire style jutsus as well as a couple Sharingan tricks.

But then Naruto had interrupted their session to take Sasuke away on a mission, leaving Itachi alone, and once again bored.

Deciding that staying home alone was far too depressing, he made his way to the ramen stand and chose the very same seat he had been in the night he had kissed Sakura.

He remembered that kiss (and all the subsequent ones) with perfect clarity. He found himself thinking about them often, day-dreaming about the next time he would get a chance to kiss her.

In fact, he could hear her laughter ringing in his head.

No, wait, that was real laughter he was hearing.

"Itachi, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

Itachi swiveled his stool to face his new company: Sakura and Ino, all giggles and smiles.

"I was just grabbing a bite to eat," he answered. "Sasuke ditched me to go off with Naruto."

"Not surprising," Ino said dryly.

Sakura sent Ino a heated glare. Ino rolled her eyes. With confusion, Itachi glanced between the two, not understanding what that look had been about.

"Did you give my notes to Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked Itachi, taking the seat beside him, the same one she had sat in before. Ino took the stool on Sakura's other side.

"Yes," he answered. He didn't want to tell her about Tsunade's offer until he was sure he could get his father on board. He didn't want to get her hopes up for no reason.

"She's not super into the idea," Sakura said. "But hopefully my research will show her that I'm serious about it."

"I'm sure she already knows that," Ino said. "The only reason she's being so wishy washy about it is because she doesn't want to lose you at the hospital. If you devote too much time to this project she can't use you to run the hospital anymore."

"I don't run the hospital, Ino," Sakura said.

"You pretty much do," the blonde said.

Sakura shook her head.

"I think the project is a good idea," Itachi said. "Mental health is an important part of being a shinobi."

"Yes, exactly!" Sakura said. "I know Tsunade understands that, too. She lacks funding for this sort of thing. It isn't that she doesn't want to lose my help at the hospital."

"Well, is there anything we can do?" Ino asked. "You know, to get funding?"

"I've scoured the village's budget and I just don't see where the extra money could come from," Sakura answered.

"Do you think you could get a feudal lord to fund it?" Ino asked.

Sakura gave Itachi a wry look. "According to Tsunade-sama, the feudal lords aren't too happy with me right now," she said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Are they seriously mad at you for busting a pedo ring?" she asked. "Bunch of disgusting bastards."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Itachi said. "There are plenty of ways to get funding."

"Oh, you could do a fundraiser!" Ino exclaimed. "You could have a black tie event where all the important clans show up and they can donate money."

"How are we going to get the money to host a black tie event, Ino?" Sakura asked. "We could do some other kind of fundraiser. We could sell something. Or… or we could do a coin drive."

"A coin drive!" Ino said sarcastically. "You can fund an entire wing of a hospital with spare change, duh. Why didn't we think of that before?"

Sakura glared at her, and Itachi felt the compulsion to do the same, but he did not.

"I'm just tossing ideas out there," Sakura said.

"Well, I think a formal event is a perfect fundraiser for this type of thing," Ino said. "People like to feel good about themselves and what better way to do that than get dressed up and donate money to children's' health?"

"She has a point," Itachi said, because what she said made a lot of sense. His father might not be willing to fund the entire project, but that didn't mean he wouldn't donate a little money to the cause. Surely some of the other clans would feel the same way.

"You think it's a good idea, Itachi?" Sakura asked, fixing her eyes on him. He felt a flood of heat in his gut at the prolonged eye contact, the way her eyes bore into his as she awaited his answer.

"I think a lot of the respected clans of the village would be happy to donate money toward something that will benefit us all," he said. "A formal event is the best way to get the more prestigious clans to come."

Sakura nodded her agreement, her pinks strands dancing around her face. "That's certainly true," she said. "Do you think the Uchiha clan would participate?"

"I think I could get my father to agree to that," he answered.

"Perfect!" Ino said. "We can ask Hinata to ask her parents, too. I'm sure my dad would be willing to help. Shikamaru's, too."

"We'll invite as many clans as we can, of course, but we'll still have to come up with the money for a venue, entertainment, food… There's a lot to start planning," Sakura said.

"I'd be happy to help you," Itachi said, eager for both something to do and another excuse to stay close to Sakura.

She gave him a sly look. "Of course you would," she said.

Itachi felt his cheeks begin to heat up.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino demanded.

"Nothing," Sakura said, getting to her feet. "Sorry we can't stay, Itachi. We're meeting Hinata and Tenten for lunch across the street."

She pointed to the restaurant on the other side of the street and Itachi saw Tenten beaming at them from inside through the window. Sakura waved to Tenten and then leaned forward and pressed a warm kiss to Itachi's cheek.

"See you later," she said.

Before Itachi could register any shock, Ino kissed his other cheek and bounded off after Sakura. "Goodbye, Itachi-kun," she said.

Itachi watched them walk into the restaurant, feeling an uncomfortable mixture of confusion and embarrassment.

By the time the sun had set that night, it had begun to rain. It was a steady rain, but not too heavy. Itachi sat in his bed, his back propped up against the wall while he listened to the raindrops smacking against the roof.

Usually he found rain relaxing. While he did feel more relaxed than normal, there was something that was bothering him and that was Izumi. She had seemed angry with him before she had left to go on her mission and Itachi worried that he might have hurt her feelings.

That had not been his intention and he knew that Izumi had to have known that. He wished that there was some way he could have made her see that he wanted her to be happy – just not with him. But again, there was no tactful way to say such a thing and so he felt guilty in spite of his innocence.

He rolled over and glanced out his window, watching the raindrops roll down to the sill. He was glad he wasn't on a mission now and could enjoy the rain from the comfort of his own bedroom.

Then Itachi felt a familiar chakra signature approaching the house – Sakura. A moment later he heard a knock at the door and rushed to open it before another family member could get to it first.

But by the time he had reached the door, Sasuke had already it flung it open and was looking at Sakura with a confused expression.

Sakura stood outside, twirling a black umbrella over her head.

"Good evening, Sasuke," she said. "Is your brother around?"

"What's it to you?"

Itachi gently shoved his brother away from the door with a huff. "Don't be rude, Sasuke," he said. "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

She grinned up at him and shook her umbrella in his direction so that he was showered with a cascade of raindrops. "I've got another lesson for you," she said. "And it's all about rain."

"Rain?"

"Rain."

Sasuke returned to the doorframe with a pout on his face, glaring first at Itachi and then at Sakura. "What are you guys talking about?" he demanded. "What lesson?"

"Sorry, Sasuke, that's private information," Sakura said. She reached forward to grab Itachi's wrist and pulled him underneath her umbrella. "I'm going to have to steal Itachi for a bit, but I promise I'll bring him back."

Before either of them could respond, Sakura jerked Itachi down the steps. Itachi spared a confused and slightly amused look back toward his little brother before he turned back to Sakura and followed her out into the rain.

"Now," Sakura said once they were out of the Uchiha compound and walking in the direction of the Hokage tower. "This lesson is all about rain. Rain is one of the most romantic things to kiss in."

Itachi swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. He hadn't kissed her since that day at the Valley of the End and he had assumed that things might get closer to normal after that day. Perhaps they would take things slower than making out hundreds of feet up into the air again.

But it seemed that Sakura took her job as his romantic sensei very seriously. And she wasn't doing a bad job.

Being huddled under her small umbrella with her, Itachi had to admit, was pretty romantic. He was close enough to her to feel her body heat and smell her perfume (which was cucumber and eucalyptus again).

She was looking at him with amusement while he eyed her up and down as they walked. The lower halves of their bodies were getting wet from the rain, but closer up underneath the umbrella's cover, Itachi felt nothing but warmth and affection for the bright pink haired girl who's hand was still latched around his wrist.

She moved her hand down to his where she linked their fingers together.

Feeling nervous and excited and pleasantly warm all at the same time, Itachi leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips.

But she backed away from him, pulling the umbrella with her. With his free hand, he grabbed her hand that clutched the umbrella and pulled it back over him, pulling her along with it.

"Not yet," she said. "You should have remembered that from last time."

"My apologies, Sakura-sensei," he said. "You're very good at creating romantic atmospheres. Why is it that you don't have a boyfriend again?"

"Because – if you want me to be quite honest – I've never used these romantic techniques on anyone before," she said, a hint of mirth in her eyes. "But having practiced on you, I now feel a bit more confidence. I can go out into the world and find myself a boyfriend now."

"Oh, really?" Itachi asked with sarcastic dryness. "Have your eye on anyone in particular?"

"Maybe," she said, sidling up close to him, holding the umbrella's handle tightly in between their nearly flush bodies.

He felt the urge to kiss her again, which must have shown on his face because Sakura smirked and pulled herself away from him.

"Come on," she said. "I've got the perfect place for us to go."

Itachi followed Sakura through the streets of Konoha, past the Hokage tower, over the bridge, and down to a latticed gazebo that sat beneath the stone face. The gazebo was part of a larger park – one with winding walking trails and trees with enough low branches for children to climb. Itachi had only been to this particular park a couple of times. The Uchiha compound had its own park for the clan children, so he never ventured this far to come to this one.

Sakura handed Itachi the umbrella and walked inside the gazebo, touching the ivy that had grown along the latticework. Itachi watched as she stood up on the bench that lined the perimeter of the gazebo and smiled at him through the wooden beams.

"Come here," she said.

Obediently, Itachi entered the gazebo, closing the umbrella and setting it against the wooden step beside the entrance.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Itachi looked around. The gazebo wasn't really anything special. It was certainly cozy with the rain now falling in thick sheets around them. They were fairly isolated. No one would be outside in the rain like this now while it was dark.

But he wasn't quite as impressed as he had been with the Valley of the End.

"You set an impressively high bar the first time," he said teasingly.

"The rain is a crucial element here," she explained matter-of-factly. She approached him from behind and pushed him gently forward toward the bench, her fingers lingering on his elbow. "Can you smell the rain? The way it makes the flowers smell richer, the grass more intense?"

Itachi grunted an affirmative. He could feel her body close to his behind him and he wanted to turn around and touch her, but he continued to look out through the gazebo into the park.

"Feel how damp everything is?" she asked. "The wood, the earth, our clothes. Everything feels much heavier and lusher, doesn't it?"

He nodded.

"And the sound," she continued. "It's so ambient and soothing. Especially here in the gazebo."

"Yes," he agreed. "It is."

Sakura leaned against him, her forehead resting against the back of his shoulder. "Even you smell better in the rain, Itachi," she said.

Without being aware that he was doing it, Itachi reached down to entwine their hands together again, but before he could, Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist and clasped them together against his abdomen.

"Something about you makes me feel very calm, Itachi," she said, her voice muffled a bit by his shoulder. "Like I can feel all my stress dissipating now."

"Happy to help," Itachi murmured, moving his arm down to cover hers.

"Wouldn't it be great if I could just carry you around all day in my pocket?" she asked. "And anytime I have a stressful surgery or a belligerent patient I could just take you out and squeeze you to get rid of all that anxiety."

"I'd like to spend all day in your pocket," he said.

"I very much doubt that," she said.

"Did you have a stressful day?"

She disentangled herself from him and sat down on the wooden bench. "Not any more than usual," she said. "Some of the girls are really struggling to learn the ropes at the hospital, which is really unfortunate because with my limited manpower, I was hoping to use some of them as administrators in the psychiatric ward eventually."

"You're a good teacher," he said. "They'll catch on."

"Am I?" she asked coyly. He sat down beside her, instantly regretting it because he could feel the dampness from the wood seeping into his pants and the spray of the rain against the back of his neck.

"You've taught me about two separate things now," he said. "Medical ninjustu and romance."

"Two very important subjects," she said. "Which do you prefer, Itachi?"

"Romance, definitely."

She laughed and leaned in toward him slightly. He could see that the back of her hair was now wet, as was the collar of her vest. It didn't seem to bother her.

"How about we combine the two?" she asked.

"How?"

She reached toward Itachi's lap, and he instinctively wanted to move away from her outstretched hand, but he held still instead. She reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai. Itachi relaxed a little, realizing that she wasn't reaching for something entirely inappropriate.

"I'm sure you know basic first aid and would be able to treat this with bandages and antiseptic," she said. "But let's how you can manage with medical ninjustsu."

She held the blade of the kunai against the tender skin of her palm and sliced it open. Blood immediately seeped up into her open hand – much more blood than a simple slice should have brought. She had cut rather deep, much to Itachi's astonishment.

She then extended her bleeding palm to him.

"You want me to heal this?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's pretty deep, but it's a clean cut so it shouldn't be too hard," she said. "Just use your healing chakra to fuse the skin back together."

Tentatively, he brushed the pad of his thumb over the cut, spreading the blood out over her skin. He pulled some of his healing chakra to his palm exactly the way she had showed him back at the brothel. He covered her palm with his and began to spread his healing chakra into her hand.

Her hand was impossibly warm and he also noted that it was shaking a little bit.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"Nervous isn't really the right word," she said.

"You don't have faith in my skills?"

She laughed loudly, tossing her head back. "I have complete faith in your skill, Itachi," she said. "And if I didn't, it's only a small cut. I think I could handle it without your help."

"Don't worry, Sakura, I'll fix you up," he said, smiling at her while he worked.

He worked his chakra into her wound, stitching her skin back together. When he had finished and the wound was entirely closed up, he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her blood away so he could inspect his handiwork.

To his disappointment, there was a small scar left behind – a delicate white line a couple of inches long that ran parallel to her knuckles.

"To prevent scarring you need to have more precise control over your chakra," she explained. "Use only the amount you need and use it precisely on the wound itself – all the way deep into the tissue."

"I'm sorry," he said.

He watched a green glow produce in her palm and then the white scar vanished.

"No worries," she said, beaming up at him. "You did a good job. Better than the girls from the brothel, anyway."

"To be fair, I am a prodigy," he said with good-natured humor.

"So did you think that was romantic?"

Itachi shook his head. "Not really," he said. "But I did enjoy holding your hand."

He looked down to where her hand was still cupped in his, her palm facing up. He placed his thumb over her palm where the scar had been and she closed her fingers around it.

"Your hand is so tiny," he said, marveling at how those slender, delicate fingers could pack such a punch sometimes.

"You only think that because your hand is huge," she argued. She shifted their hands so that their fingers were interlaced.

The rain started to come down harder, forcing them to move away from the bench or get drenched. Sakura dragged Itachi to the center of the gazebo and stood facing him, but watched the rain pour from over his shoulder. She sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her cheek against his chest.

"This so easy."

"Pardon?"

"This thing with me and you," Sakura said. "It seems too easy. Are we doing things out of order? It feels like something should be going wrong."

"I suppose we did do things out of order," Itachi said. He didn't really mind, though.

"Ino says that can really mess things up," she said. "Doing things out of order."

"Mess what things up?"

"You know," Sakura said, angling her head toward the floor so that Itachi couldn't see her face at all. Itachi rested his chin on the top of her head. "Relationships."

Itachi didn't consider that they were in a relationship, but he supposed that they did _have_ one – one that seemed romantic in nature at this point. He felt the need to clarify to her that they were not in a relationship quite yet, but he couldn't think of a way to do so tactfully, so he remained silent instead.

"If you get sick of hanging out with me, just tell me," she said.

"I'm pretty sick of you."

She pulled away from him, giving him a half-hearted glare. "Really?"

"No," he said. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes," she said.

He didn't need any more encouragement than that. He leaned down to kiss her, but a second later she was dragging him out of the gazebo and into the rain.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked. "We'll get wet."

"There's nothing wrong with being wet."

As if to demonstrate this point, Sakura ran several feet in front of him and began twirling around, spreading her arms out and turning her face up to the dark sky. The rain was cold as it pelted them – Itachi could feel it seeping into his underclothes as well.

But he didn't mind the discomfort so much while he was watching Sakura, who seemed to be enjoying it much more than he was. And also, her sopping clothes clung dangerously close to her body in the most appealing way, which Itachi silently appreciated.

"Don't you just love the rain?" she yelled over the din of the torrent.

He did love the rain, but he didn't like standing in it and he was beginning to feel uncomfortable and cold.

Then, she began to charge at him. Itachi braced himself for impact, bemused and highly amused. When she was close enough, she jumped onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He caught her with ease (and a little confusion), and smoothed her wet hair away from her face.

"You can kiss me now," she whispered.

He threaded his fingers into her wet hair and kissed her. Her hands came up to the back of his neck and clung there, her legs still wrapped tightly around him. She was warm everywhere they were touching (which was in a quite a few places, given the way he was holding her).

The rain continued to beat down on them, but Itachi found that he didn't care so much about that anymore. He could feel a delicious heat blooming in his chest and the way Sakura clung to him so desperately made him feel… high, was it? He didn't know – he only knew that he'd never quite felt this exhilarated before.

When she finally pulled away from him she was grinning at him. He could see her lashes were clumped together and her skin was pale. She shivered slightly, so he tucked her closer to his body, hugging her tightly.

"I was skeptical at first," Itachi murmured into the skin of her throat. "But this is pretty romantic."

"See?" she said. "I know what I'm doing."

"Yes, you're a very good teacher."

He dropped her back down to her feet and watched her slick her soppy hair back away from her face. They were both completely soaked through now, and the night air was cold enough to leave goosebumps on Sakura's arms.

"Are you cold?" he asked. "Do you want to go home and get some dry clothes on?"

"Itachi, what are you going to do with all these things I'm teaching you?" she asked, looking up at him with eyes that sparkled with determination and something that looked very much like concern.

"Medical ninjustu is applicable in a variety of situations," he answered, knowing full well that that was not what she meant.

"And the romance stuff?"

He quirked his mouth up in a smile, mostly because he couldn't help it. Her eagerness to get her answer was kind of charming and something about the gently probing lilt in her voice made him wish he could give her every answer she ever asked for.

"Well, you see," he began. "There's this girl I want to impress."

"Oh?" she asked with an infuriatingly sexy smirk. "Who is this lucky girl?"

"You wouldn't know her."

She shook her head with an amused laugh and grabbed Itachi's hand. She took him back inside the gazebo and shook herself off like a dog. Itachi, much more gracefully, wrung out his hair and the bits of his clothes he was able to.

"Tell me more about this girl," Sakura said, stripping out of her red vest so she could fully wring it out. He couldn't take her eyes off her for a moment while she stood in just her breast bindings, pink skirt, and spandex shorts. It was certainly indecent for her to be in such a state in public, but she didn't seem to care – and it was dark and raining, there was no one around to see her.

Except for him, which she clearly knew and had decided she was okay with. He didn't know whether or not that made it okay for him to ogle her, but he did anyway because he didn't have the frame of mind not to.

"She's a knockout," he said. "Possibly the most beautiful person I've ever met."

"That's high praise coming from someone who's a member of the most attractive clan in Konoha," she said, catching his eye and then looking away before she slipped her arms back through her vest and re-fastened it.

"They don't hold a candle to her."

"I'd like to meet this girl."

"Sakura…" he said, not knowing what to say because they both knew that he was talking about her.

She ran her hand through her hair and then flicked a few droplets of water into Itachi's face. "Yes?"

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home."

"Are you not having fun hanging out with me?" she asked with an exaggerated pout. "Would you rather be with this other beautiful girl?"

"You're cold," he said, running the tips of his fingers over the skin of her arm where the tiny hairs there were raised up in protest of the cold. "And it's getting late."

"Fine," she conceded. "I'll walk you home."

"No."

"No?"

"This beautiful girl," he said. "I don't like seeing her cold and wet and miserable. If you walk me home, then I'll never know if she changed out of the wet clothes or not."

"So you don't want me to walk you home because you want to watch me change my clothes?" she demanded.

"Who said I was talking about you?"

She glared at him.

He laughed. "Okay, fine, I was talking about you," he said. "And no, I don't need to see you change. But nothing would fill me with greater joy right now than seeing you wrapped in a nice cozy, _dry_ blanket with a cup of hot tea."

"You like to take care of people, don't you, Itachi?"

Itachi twisted his lips in a curious smirk because that was true and it was an astute observation on her part.

"May I walk you home, Sakura?"

She slipped her arm through his and led him back to the entrance of the gazebo, grabbing her umbrella as they walked through.

"I will let you walk me home," she said. "But only because I know you want to – not because I need you to."

"Of course."


	6. Chapter 6

The market was crowded and Itachi felt uneasy walking through with Sakura. He wasn't ashamed of her, of course, but they were certainly a pair that would turn heads.

But luckily for Itachi, Sakura seemed to draw the brunt of attention. Itachi had worn civilian clothes today instead of his usual shinobi garb, and without his Sharingan activated, he blended in naturally with the rest of the civilians.

Sakura, on the other hand, was easily recognizable as the Hokage's apprentice with her pink hair. And even if that had not been the case, there were many people that approached her and thanked her for healing them at the hospital at some point.

Itachi found it humbling. He was by no means an arrogant man, but he had a certain amount of pride in his skills as a shinobi. He was an ANBU operative, jonin ranked, and the heir to the Uchiha clan. He was deadly and clever and could give nearly anyone a run for their money in terms of combat.

But Sakura was the star here. She was the one people wanted to speak with when they stopped at a vegetable stand – not just about her work at the hospital, but how she had been and what she was cooking for dinner.

The casual conversation seemed so out of place. Sakura was a civilian born, Itachi knew, but did that mean she knew all of these people personally? Or were they just stopping to make polite conversation with her because they knew who she was?

"What do you think, Itachi?"

Itachi looked up, shaken from his thoughts. Sakura was watching him with a curious expression, gesturing to the vendor they stood in front of.

"Halibut or salmon?" she asked.

"Salmon, I think."

Sakura nodded to the vendor, who immediately began packaging up her requested fish.

"You looked kind of spaced out there for a second," Sakura said, moving to stand closer to him.

"Sorry," he said.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Can I hold your hand?" she asked.

He blinked.

"Only if you want to, of course," she said hastily. "I thought I'd ask because we're in public and I didn't know how you would feel about that, but I really want to hold your hand."

He felt a tight constriction in his chest because he really wanted to hold her hand, too, and it made him feel elated that she would even ask.

But she did have a point. They had never done this in public (save for their first kiss at Ichiraku's, which Ayame had been the only one privy to). People would talk. It was only natural. Itachi was an eligible bachelor and Sakura was the beloved disciple of the honorable Hokage.

It would be best to decline her offer, Itachi thought. A rumor would get back to his family. Sasuke would be upset, his father would be confused, and his mother would want to meddle some more. This easy, flirtatious thing they had going would be ruined by his clan's scrutiny.

It would also put a lot of pressure on Sakura, who was already dealing with enough stress at the moment. He couldn't bear to put his family's scrutiny on her. They would want a squeaky clean history of her. They would want to see her medical history, her genealogy, a detailed description of her entire career. Such was the life of the Uchiha – always measured against one another, protecting that precious kekkei genkai and pure bloodline.

But Sakura's hopeful expression and frustratingly large eyes crumbled any argument he had prepared. He could not tell her no. And he didn't want to. Was holding her hand really that bad? It seemed pretty enticing…

He shifted the bags of groceries they had collected so far into one hand and reached out to lace his fingers together with Sakura's with the other.

"Is this supposed to be romantic?" he asked with a smile. "Holding hands while we walk through the market?"

"It's not part of your lesson," she said, accepting the wrapped fish from the vendor and sliding it into one of the bags Itachi carried. She sidled up close to him, resting her cheek against his arm. "But it is pretty romantic."

"It's going to be hard to dissociate you from romance now," Itachi said, chuckling. "All of my experiences with you have been romantic so far."

"Oh you mean like that time I made out with a brothel patron right in front of you?"

Itachi nodded somberly. "Exactly," he said. "I'd argue that that is perhaps the most romantic moment we've had so far."

"Really?" she asked, leading him through the market, past the produce and meat and poultry and into the section of trinkets, jewelry, and knick-knacks. "I'd say our most romantic moment so far was when you told me that I wouldn't be a good fit for ANBU because I'm too brash."

"I said you would be a good fit in spite of your brashness," he said, a little unnerved that she would bring that up so accusingly. "Besides, your brashness makes you charming. It's not a bad thing."

"Oh, you think I'm charming?"

"Obviously. You think I just go around kissing non-charming girls?"

"I don't think you go around kissing _any_ girls, Itachi-kun."

Itachi shuddered at the sound of the suffix attached to his name. "That's weird," he said. "Don't call me that."

She pulled away from him only long enough to show him that she was pouting. "Why not?" she demanded. "You can call me Sakura-chan."

"No."

"But it's romantic."

"I don't think so."

"Fine," she huffed. "But don't be surprised if I go off and find another man who _will_ let me call him adorable pet names."

Itachi stopped walking, forcing Sakura to stop, too. "I don't want you to do that," he said, feeling a brief moment of fiery jealousy exploding in his chest before the more logical side of his brain took over again.

"Relax, Itachi, I was teasing you," she said, now looking more concerned than she had been a moment ago. "You don't get to be that possessive unless you're my boyfriend. And even then, it's pretty iffy."

"I'm not being possessive," he said. "Since when is not wanting you to call other men pet names possessive?"

Sakura giggled. "Okay, fine, you can be a little possessive, if you want."

"You can call me a pet name if you want."

"How quickly you changed your tune!"

"I'm going to call you Cherry."

"Don't call me Cherry."

"I'm definitely going to start calling you Cherry."

"Fine," she said, shoving him roughly. "I'm going to call you sugar booger."

"That is a disproportionately disturbing pet name," he said sternly. "Try again."

Sakura giggled again before stopping in front of one of the market stalls selling jewelry and other trinkets. "Look, sugar booger, it's your necklace," she said, pointing at a spinning carousel that contained several necklaces that looked exactly like the one Itachi wore. On the other side of the carousel were a collection of ones in the darker metal Izumi had chosen for him.

"Looks like this is where Izumi got your other one from," Sakura said, touching the necklaces so that they swung and clanked together.

Instinctively, Itachi reached up and touched his collarbone, forgetting for a moment that he had stopped wearing the necklace.

"Why did you stop wearing your necklace?"

Itachi looked down at Sakura, whose eyes were still locked onto the spinning carousel. He had stopped wearing it because she had told him he looked good without it. He had lied to her when he had said he was considering no longer wearing it. He had considered no such thing.

But combined with the fact that Izumi had given him one, it just seemed like a good idea to stop wearing it. He hadn't felt the urge to put it back on after the day he had taken it off in front of Sakura.

"I just don't feel like wearing it anymore," he answered, hoping that answer would be enough to satisfy Sakura's curiosity.

Sakura merely grunted in response, continuing to spin the carousel to see the other necklaces.

"Look, Itachi," she said. "Here's a red one!"

She picked up one of the necklaces. It was identical to the ones Itachi had except this one was coated with a metallic red paint. It was ostentatious and loud, Itachi thought as she clasped it around her neck. It settled against her collarbone, dipping down to where she might have had cleavage if she had been wearing her usual shinobi clothes.

"What do you think?" she asked, her eyes wide and amused as she looked at him expectantly.

"I don't like it."

"I'm definitely buying it."

"Don't buy it," he said. "You'll never wear it. It's a waste of money."

"Excuse me, Itachi, I think I'll wear it every day."

"Sakura."

But Sakura only gave him an amused smile and then purchased the necklace from the vendor. When she had put away the rest of her money, she tucked the necklace under her shirt and took up Itachi's hand again.

"I'm going to wear it every day," she said, swinging their arms back and forth.

Itachi stilled their arms and gave her a disapproving look. "You'll take it off when you get home and then forget you ever bought it," he said.

"That's not what you did with yours," she argued.

"You only bought that to antagonize me," he said. "I bought mine because I like it."

"And you don't like it when I wear it?"

"You'll never catch me advocating that you wear _more_ things," he said solemnly.

"Itachi, that's crass by your standards," she said, equally solemn but with a visible amusement dancing behind her eyes.

"Being around you makes me crasser."

"That's not a bad thing," she said, earning an amused smile from him.

With their shopping done, Sakura began to walk back toward her apartment, Itachi in tow close behind her. He noticed her occasionally reach up to her neck and touch her fingers against the metal of her new necklace.

The light of the early morning had waxed into the blinding noon sun by the time they had arrived back at Sakura's apartment. Itachi helped her inside her apartment and unpacked her groceries, filling her bare shelves and empty refrigerator with a much better alternative to the fast food she had been eating.

Itachi had a natural inclination to worry. He worried about Sasuke and his safety on missions. He worried about his family in general and their tumultuous relationship with the village. He worried about nonsensical things like whether or not he would have time to enjoy his tea before it got cold or when the new shinobi sandals he had ordered would arrive.

Worrying about Sakura should have come as no surprise to him. If he worried about everything else, why wouldn't he add Sakura to that list?

But he was a little caught off guard by the feeling. It was relief that he felt when her kitchen was now filled with actual food.

"There," Sakura said once the last of the food had been put away. "Now what should we have for lunch? Want to order something? Or we could try that new restaurant by the gates. I heard they have really good dango."

"Sakura, we just bought all this food," he said, though he was secretly tempted by the thought of dango.

"I guess we can just eat here then…" she said, defeated.

"Let me make you lunch."

She shut one of her kitchen cabinets with a little more force than was necessary. "Your stubbornness is leading me to believe that you're going to poison me," she said.

"That would be counterproductive," he said.

"Not if you're using sildenafil," she said with a wink.

Itachi chuckled. "Does that work on women?" he asked. "If so, I think you might be on to something."

"You're not allowed to poison me, but I will allow you to make me lunch," she said. "And no, it does not work on women."

"Mm, I don't want to make you lunch anymore."

Sakura cocked her hip out and placed her hand on it. "Oh?" she asked. "What do you want, then?"

"I want sildenafil for women," he answered. "It's grossly unjust that women don't have access to the same kind of medication that men do."

Sakura shoved Itachi forward sharply, pushing him back into one of her kitchen chairs. He fell back into the seat with a grunt, highly amused. "Well, you're in luck, sugar booger," she said, prompting a wry glare from him. "I know exactly how to produce sildenafil's effects in myself without the aide of any drug."

Itachi swallowed the sudden dryness in his throat. "Are you going to teach me?" he asked, trying to sound flirtatious, but the timber of his voice was more nervous than anything else.

"It's not part of your romance training," she answered, moving to stand directly in front him. She placed her feet between his and her hands on the back of the chair behind him. "And I don't think you're ready for that quite yet."

He instinctively reached his hands out and placed them on her waist, pulling her closer to his lap. "I'm definitely ready," he said.

"No, no, no," she said, taking a step backwards. "A kiss here and there is one thing. Sex is entirely different."

"How do you figure?" Itachi asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable with the topic of discussion. He agreed with her, naturally. Sex was far more intimate than holding hands in public or kissing. It also was far more meaningful than a kiss or two (at least in Itachi's opinion).

But he was curious about what Sakura thought.

"Well, for one thing, I've never had sex before," she said. "And assuming that you haven't either, I'd probably be the worst person to teach you about it."

"I'm not looking for a sex teacher," Itachi said dryly.

Sakura ignored him. "And another thing," she continued. "I kind of really like you, and Ino says that having sex too soon in a relationship can ruin it. I don't want to do that."

"But we aren't in a relationship," he argued, catching on to the fact that this might be a serious discussion they were about to have.

"Exactly," she said, much to Itachi's relief. "Which means that it is far too soon to be having sex."

"I think so, too."

"But unfortunately, that means that if our first times having sex are with each other, neither of us will know what we're doing," she said.

"We can figure it out together," Itachi answered, feeling his cheeks heat up just thinking about their potential future. The speed with which he had fallen for her felt almost nonsensical. They still barely knew one another, yet here they were discussing the possibility of sex like it was a perfectly reasonable thing for them to be doing.

"Let's start with lunch first," she said. "Maybe by this afternoon we'll be ready for sex."

Itachi laughed.

The next day, Itachi woke up to an angry Sasuke hovering over his bed. Blinking his eyes blearily, he shoved Sasuke back a step and sat up.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"What are _you_ doing with my teammate?"

Sasuke's face was red and his brows furrowed into a deep scowl. He was fully dressed in his shinobi gear, though Itachi knew for a fact that Sasuke didn't have any missions today. He was sweating slightly and looking like he might have just come home from an early morning sparring session.

Itachi swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"Get out of my room, Sasuke."

Sasuke crossed his arms stubbornly, moving to stand between Itachi and the door. "Not until you tell me what's going on with you and Sakura," he demanded.

"What makes you think something is going on with me and Sakura?"

"Oh come on," Sasuke said with exasperation. "Do you think I'm stupid? You two have been spending a lot of time together these last couple of days. And Hinata told Naruto that she saw you and Sakura at the market yesterday and you were holding hands!"

"It's none of your business, Sasuke."

"But, Itachi—"

Itachi held up a hand to prevent Sasuke from saying anything more.

"Listen, Sasuke," he started. "There is nothing serious going on between me and Sakura. But if you have feelings toward Sakura, then you should tell her soon. Whether it's with me or someone else, she is ready to move on from you."

Sasuke's face darkened and he clenched his fists by his side. "I'm not interested in Sakura," he said. "Not in that way."

"Oh?" Itachi asked. "Are you interested in her in another way?"

"You'd better not hurt her, Itachi."

Itachi resisted the urge to laugh. It wasn't funny, of course. But it was unexpected that Sasuke would feel so protective of his teammate – especially considering he had never been that kind to her himself.

"I have no intention of hurting her," Itachi answered.

Sasuke still looked skeptical and a little bit hurt. Itachi worried that Sasuke may have actually had feelings for Sakura. If that was the case, Itachi would step down and let his little brother have what he wanted.

But it would sting. Even worse than that, Itachi knew that the reason it would sting was jealousy – not the lack of Sakura herself. He would be able to move on from Sakura, he was certain of that.

But would he be able to watch his little brother hold Sakura's hand or kiss her cheek? It would certainly be unpleasant.

Sasuke didn't look placated by Itachi's words and that annoyed Itachi a little bit. He wanted Sasuke to trust him.

"Come on, Sasuke," Itachi said. "Let's go to the Hokage tower and see if Tsunade-sama has a mission we can take together."

Sasuke begrudgingly agreed.

"Itachi, I'm glad to see you," Tsunade said when he walked through her office door with his little brother in tow behind him.

"You have a mission for me?" he asked, hoping his voice didn't betray his overt enthusiasm.

She shook her head. "Really, Itachi, we've got to find you a hobby," she said. "You're always looking for your next mission. Slow down. Smell the roses. Enjoy Konoha during peacetime."

Itachi pressed his lips together to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Have you given anymore thought to taking a vacation?"

Itachi shook his head.

"Well, no matter," she said. "I'm glad to see you because I wanted to ask you about funding for the psychiatric ward. Have you talked to your father?"

"I did," Itachi said carefully. "I don't think this is a project he's going to be willing to invest in. I will continue to ask for his help, but I fear that he will say no."

Tsunade's eyes darkened and she glared at the wall behind Itachi's head. "Of course," she said bitterly. "Why would he care about the health of the children in his own village?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Sasuke demanded.

"We want your father to fund a psychiatric ward for children at the hospital," Tsunade said. "We don't have nearly the level of funding needed to start a project like this and Sakura has already worked very hard on getting everything else squared away. It would be a real shame for her hard work to go to waste."

"Are you kidding me?" Sasuke asked, turning to give his brother an accusing look. "This is about Sakura?"

"It's not about Sakura," both Itachi and Tsunade said at the same time.

"You said it wasn't serious, Itachi," Sasuke whined. "But now you're asking Father for access to the clan funds for her?"

"Now is not the time, Sasuke."

"Wait, wait," Tsunade said, bringing her hand to her temple. "What's he talking about, Itachi?"

"Nothing," Itachi said hastily. He didn't really want to explain to the Hokage that he was having some sort of sordid romantic relationship with her apprentice. That seemed like it would cause more trouble than Itachi cared for.

"It's not nothing, Itachi," Sasuke said. He turned to Tsunade. "He's dating Sakura," he said to her.

Itachi shook his head vehemently. "We aren't dating," he said firmly.

"Really?" Tsunade asked. She tapped her lips thoughtfully and furrowed her brow. "Sakura and Itachi…" she mumbled.

"No, no," Itachi said, beginning to feel slightly out of control and a little panicked. "Sakura and I are just friends."

Tsunade ignored him. "Shizune!" she bellowed.

A rapid clicking of heels on the linoleum floor denoted Shizune's approach. She swung into Tsunade's office, clinging on to the doorframe, looking frazzled. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Sakura should be finishing up her rounds about now," Tsunade said. "Can you go fetch her for me?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," she answered before quickly disappearing back down the hallway.

"That isn't necessary, Tsunade-sama," Itachi said. "I only dropped by to see if you had a mission that Sasuke and I could take together. But since you don't seem to have anything for us, we'll take out leave now."

"Not so fast, Itachi," she said. "Both of you, sit."

"Me?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, both of you."

Ever obedient to their esteemed Hokage, both Sasuke and Itachi took their seats in front of her desk with only slightly petulant glares in each other's direction.

"This is why you asked for her help with Iori," Tsunade said. "And why you requested her for those Mist chuunin."

Itachi didn't like the scheming glint in her eye, or the way she seemed actually pleased by this information. That almost seemed worse than if she had been upset.

"I was only interested in gauging her skills as a shinobi," Itachi said.

"And what did you conclude?" Tsunade asked. Itachi could feel Sasuke's eyes on him, too, and it was quite unnerving.

"She's very clever and has a knack for investigation," Itachi answered. "While she is primarily used in medical situations, I think she is also very much suited for stealth work. She is smart and would make a great team captain. I even think she would do well in ANBU if she had a team that could reign in her temper. That coupled with her incredible chakra control makes her truly formidable. She would make a good addition to any team."

Tsunade beamed with pride, which Itachi found both unsettling and a little amusing.

"You forgot resourceful," Tsunade said.

"Yes," Itachi said, nodding with agreement and thinking back on Sakura's manipulative kiss at the brothel. "She is quite resourceful."

A beat of silence followed, broken by the office door being thrown open.

"Tsunade-sama, is there an emergency?"

Sakura entered the room with no small degree of trepidation. It must have been strange for her to walk into Tsunade's office and find her two favorite Uchiha brothers in there. To Itachi's consternation, she looked exhausted still, probably stressed still. She needed a good nap, he thought.

"No emergency, Sakura," Tsunade said. "I wanted to talk to you about the children's ward."

Sakura entered the office and shut the door behind her with a gentle click. She eyed Sasuke and Itachi with curiosity, but she didn't let her eyes linger on them.

"What about it?" she asked, taking a seat on Itachi's right. He was inwardly pleased that she had chosen to sit next to him, but he was also aware of how condemning that looked to both Tsunade and Sasuke.

"I've gone over this file," she said, gesturing to the file that Itachi had brought to her earlier that week. "And you've done some incredible research here. From the building codes to the projected timeline, you've really thought of everything. I can't deny you this project after all the hard work you've put into it. The only problem still is the little issue of funding."

Sakura glanced at Itachi for a brief second before looking back to Tsunade.

"Well," Sakura said. "I've been discussing with Ino that we might like to have a fundraiser. We could invite all the major clans and have them donate money. It would be a black tie event where we would outline all the benefits of the ward. We could show a sample of some of the research we would be doing at the new facility. It think it would be particularly beneficial for clans like the Hyuuga and Uchiha whose kekkei genkai can cause… mental issues."

Itachi and Sasuke cast wary glances in each other's direction.

"That's a great idea and all," Tsunade said, pointedly ignoring Sasuke, "but I'm not sure if it will get us the results we want quickly enough."

"Did you have another idea in mind?" Sakura asked. Itachi could tell that she was trying determinedly not to look at him or Sasuke.

"Itachi here says that he tried to talk to his father about using clan funds for the project," Tsunade said.

Sakura's eyes snapped over to Itachi. He was confused by her sudden vehemence and a little annoyed that Tsunade would out him like that.

"You did?" she asked. He felt a weird tingling sensation in his chest, like her eyes were drilling that feeling into him.

"I spoke with him after you and Ino mentioned having a fundraiser," Itachi answered, doing his best to be honest while maintaining his dignity. "I just wanted to see if he would be on board with the idea."

"Was he?" Sakura asked, her expression far too hopeful and excited for Itachi to do anything but nod an affirmative and drain ever drop of money in the clan's account for her.

"No," he said instead, opting for honesty for the sake of it being less cruel.

"You know, Itachi," Tsunade began, "If you were to marry, you would become clan head and the Uchiha accounts would be ceded to your control."

Itachi swallowed the lump of nerves and panic that had surged up in his throat. "I wouldn't consider marriage only for the sake of gaining my family's money," he said, hoping his tone conveyed a little outrage.

"No, of course not," Tsunade agreed. "All I'm saying is that if the right girl comes along and you happen to marry her, then perhaps we could rely on you for the funding we need?"

"Tsunade-shishou, this is really inappropriate…"

"It's Itachi's decision, of course," Tsunade said. "So what do you say, Itachi? Have your eye on any girl in particular?"

Without meaning to, he let his gaze drift to Sakura, who was beet red and looked absolutely mortified.

"I'm not anywhere near ready to be married, Hokage-sama," he said. "But if you wish, I will continue to seek my father's help regarding this issue."

"Itachi, this project is Sakura's baby," Tsunade argued. "She's worked really hard on this and we can't count on your father ever coming around. Don't you want Sakura to have her ward?"

Growing a little angry, Itachi got to his feet. "I don't appreciate you trying to manipulate me and my family," he clarified. "My father is in charge of the Uchiha funds. He is the clan head, so if you have an issue with the way he spends his money, then you may take that up with him."

"Now listen here, you little brat—"

"Tsunade-shishou, please," Sakura said, getting to her feet as well.

"Sakura, I'm green lighting your fundraiser, since you obviously don't have Itachi's help here," she said. "You may plan it at your leisure."

"Okay, Tsunade-shishou, but—"

"Out. All of you."

"But—"

"Out!"

"What the fuck is her problem?" Sakura demanded, stomping down the length of the hallway. She looked furious and Itachi was inclined to just walk away and catch up with her later. He certainly didn't want to be privy to the imminent deluge of rage that was coming.

But Sasuke was chasing after her down the hall and Itachi didn't think it was a good idea to let them run off together.

"I can't believe she would dare make a suggestion like that!" Sakura said, pivoting on her heel and poking Sasuke angrily in the chest. "Like your family is just some bank she can offer up a virgin to in exchange for a loan."

"Oh, give me a break," Sasuke said, shoving her hand away. "She's not that far off base."

Sakura's eyes flicked over to Itachi, who had caught up and should probably explain that to Sakura but had gone a little bit numb.

"What are you talking about?" she asked Sasuke.

"This _thing_ ," he answered with a grimace. "Between you and Itachi. If it results in a marriage then you'd be the Uchiha matriarch and you'd have access to the clan's funds."

"I would never stoop low enough to try a scheme like that," she retorted fiercely.

"I wasn't talking about a scheme, you idiot," Sasuke bit.

"Sasuke," Itachi said with a disapproving glare.

"No, I want to know the truth," Sasuke said. He turned to Sakura. "What is going on between you and Itachi?" he asked her.

Sakura faltered a bit, her anger melting into confusion and then pity. Itachi knew that would only anger Sasuke further, and sure enough, when Itachi glanced over at him he found his little brother's Sharingan activated and fixed squarely on Sakura.

Sakura looked over to Itachi for help, and he certainly would have given anything to be able to help her just then, but he wasn't sure what to say. Her eyes dropped to his feet and back up to his face.

"I don't know what's going on between us," she said. She was looking directly at Itachi now, so unblinkingly that it unnerved him. "You'll have to give us some more time to figure it out."

"Are you kidding me?" Sasuke asked. "I'm supposed to just let this abomination continue?"

"How is it an abomination?"

"You're my teammate and he's my brother!" Sasuke seethed. "It's practically incest!"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Sasuke," Sakura yelled back. "How is it anything remotely close to incest?"

"What happened to liking _me_?" Sasuke asked, ignoring her logical question. "It doesn't work out with me so you just move on to the next best thing?"

Itachi nearly interjected there, because he wouldn't have considered himself the _next best_ thing, even if he did think the world of Sasuke. Itachi wasn't a downgrade by any means.

"Not at all," Sakura answered. "I tried things with Shisui first, _then_ I moved on to Itachi."

Sasuke glared fiercely at her and Itachi couldn't help but let out a short laugh. Sasuke glare shifted to Itachi's face.

"You," Sasuke said. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Sasuke, it's not my intention to upset you," Itachi said.

"I don't understand why you're upset," Sakura said. "You have made it quite clear that you want nothing to do with me, so why do you care what I do with Itachi?"

"Like it wouldn't bother you if I started messing around with Ino?" Sasuke retorted. "She's like a sister to you, isn't she?"

"I'd be happy for her because I love her and I want her to be happy," Sakura bit. "You know what, scratch that. I'd feel sorry for her because you are insufferable."

"You really think you can make Itachi happy?"

"Alright, that's enough," Itachi said. "Both of you."

Sakura and Sasuke both turned to look at him and he felt a minute sense of panic because both of them were volatile and stronger willed than he was. He didn't want them to fight with each other and he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realized that Sasuke would not be okay with whatever was going on between him and Sakura.

The lobby doors opened behind Itachi and he could sense that it was Izumi before he turned around to greet her. She was dressed in her shinobi gear and clearly on her way to the Hokage's office. It looked like she had just arrived back from her mission. She was bloodied and bruised and looked just as worn out as Sakura did, maybe more so.

She froze when she entered the hallway and saw the trio brooding in silence and looking quite angry at one another.

"Umm, hi," she said meekly, her voice and furrowed brow betraying the confusion she felt.

"Hi," Itachi said, not wanted to seem rude once it was made clear that neither Sakura nor Sasuke would respond.

Izumi locked her eyes onto Itachi's, which made him feel uneasy because Sakura was watching. But she didn't looking angry with him anymore, which was good because Itachi didn't want her to be angry.

"Itachi-kun," she said. "I, uhh, know this is a bit awkward, but do you think maybe we could talk later? I just… I just have some things I'd like to say to you."

Itachi glanced up at Sakura to see her reaction to this. She merely shrugged, as if giving him permission.

"I suppose we could talk over lunch today," he answered. This somehow seemed like a trap, or at the very least, a bad idea. But Itachi was curious and he didn't want to hurt Izumi anymore than he already had. A lunch wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

"Great," she said, though she didn't sound great. She sounded sad. "I have to meet with Hokage-sama now."

"Okay," Itachi said, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, and Sakura-san," Izumi said, whirling to face the only non-Uchiha in the group. "I know you aren't my personal medic, but since you don't seem busy, would you mind taking a look at my injuries after I've spoken with Tsunade-sama? I think I have a couple broken ribs."

"Oh," Sakura said, the shock evident on her face. To Itachi's knowledge, Izumi knew nothing about his relationship with Sakura. He doubted she would have asked for such a favor otherwise. "Yeah, I can do that. Swing by my office when you're done and I'll take a look."

Itachi didn't like this.

"Thank you," Izumi said before she disappeared back down the hall and into Tsunade's office.

Sakura's eyes locked onto Itachi's.

"This is going to be a disaster," Sasuke said. "I can't wait to see this blow up in your faces."

Both Sakura and Itachi fixed him with a glare.

After spending the rest of the morning sitting in his living room being stonily glared at by a silent Sasuke, Itachi wasn't in the best of moods. Truthfully, Itachi was very annoyed with his little brother's behavior, which wasn't something he was used to feeling.

Sasuke had always come first for Itachi. And it was likely that he always would. Itachi loved Sasuke more than he loved anyone else and that wasn't going to change.

However, at this particular point in his life, Itachi wasn't really feeling that brotherly love anymore. Sasuke was acting like a child, like Sakura was a toy that he had dropped and Itachi had picked up.

After having enough of Sasuke's silent, yet some how accusing brooding, Itachi made his way back up to the rooftop so he could just sit in peace and think for a moment.

This Izumi business was concerning. He couldn't imagine what she had to say to him. Would she try to plead her case and get Itachi to come around to her? Would she tell him off for rejecting her? She had seemed calm and polite in the hallway, but Itachi knew that sometimes those emotions bubbled just under the surface. Izumi was usually a calm and collected person, but she had lashed out at him when he had rejected her.

Maybe she only wanted to berate him.

And what was even more concerning was that Sakura was going to tend to Izumi. She was probably with her right now, closed into Sakura's office. Perhaps they were talking about him.

That couldn't be good…

Would Sakura keep their relationship a secret, or would she tell Izumi? Sakura had seemed on board with the idea that Izumi and Itachi would be together. Would she try to arrange it so that would happen? Or was she now committed to Itachi? Would she be jealous?

The unknowns were too much for Itachi to be thinking about. Instead, he leaned back against the shingles and tried to clear his mind as he stared up into the clouds. It wouldn't do any good to worry about it.

Itachi met Izumi at the teahouse near the Uchiha compound. She was waiting by the door when he arrived, looking much better now that her injuries had been tended to.

She smiled weakly at him as he approached, and gestured to a nearby table on the patio.

"Hey, Itachi-kun," she said.

"Hey," he responded, a little uncomfortable with the suffix she attached to his name. She had always done it for as long as she could remember, but now it bothered him – probably a lot more than it should have.

They took their seats and ordered their food, avoiding each other's gazes. This was hardly the type of thing Izumi would feel comfortable doing, Itachi thought, so at least he knew she wasn't enjoying his misery.

"I'd like to apologize to you, Itachi-kun," she said.

Itachi's brow furrowed.

"For behaving so poorly when you rejected me," she continued, mollifying his confusion. "I was very angry with you and I had no right to be. I was only acting that way because I was upset and I'm very sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Izumi," he replied. "I understand why you were upset."

She twisted her fingers together nervously on the table before shifting them down into her lap and staring at them. "Still," she said. "I'm sorry."

Itachi pressed his lips together, watching her. She refused to look up at him, which Itachi understood because this was already a very awkward situation. Had she invited him here just to apologize?

"How are you feeling?" he asked. "Looks like you got pretty banged up on your mission. Are all your injuries healed properly?"

"Yes," she said, meeting his gaze for exactly one second before it dropped back down to her lap again. "Sakura is very good. It hardly took her any time at all, and I had several broken ribs. She's very good at what she does."

Not wanting to linger on the subject of Sakura, Itachi shifted the subject to something more appropriate. "Tell me about your mission," he said.

"I didn't come here to talk about my mission, Itachi-kun," she said. "No offense."

"Oh," Itachi said, a little dumbstruck by her frankness because she wasn't usually like that.

"I want to know why you outright rejected me," she said. "Why you wouldn't even consider going out with me. We've always been good friends, haven't we? I thought we got along nicely."

"You are my friend," he said, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest. "I like you. Just not in the way you want me to."

"Are you gay?"

With a furious blush rising to his cheeks, Itachi shook his head.

"Is there someone else?"

Itachi swallowed. "Someone else?"

"Another girl," she clarified. "Is there someone else who got to you first? I regret that I didn't tell you sooner. I've had a crush on you for so long. Maybe if I had come to you directly instead of sneaking around with those gifts and letters you wouldn't have found somebody else."

"Izumi, that's all irrelevant," he said. "You're a beautiful girl; you won't have any trouble finding someone else."

"Yeah, but I wanted you."

Silence descended on the table. He stared awkwardly out the window, not knowing what to say.

"Fine. I get it. You just don't like me," she said. "There's nothing I can do to change your mind so…"

"Wait," Itachi said, already regretting what he was about to suggest. He remembered what Sakura had said about kissing, about sparks. Sakura was the only girl he had kissed, so naturally he couldn't know if it felt any better to kiss someone else unless he did. Sakura had told him as much.

Would Sakura be upset if he kissed Izumi now? Would Izumi be upset if he kissed her and then still rejected her?

Common sense was telling him not to do it. It would be a mistake for sure. But curiosity was getting the better of him. Besides, Sakura had urged him to do this.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked.

Izumi's shock made a bubble of laughter burst from her. She cocked her head to the side in confusion, fixing Itachi was a look that was almost a glare, but not quite.

"Just as a test," he explained. "To see if there might be any feelings there."

"But what if there aren't?" she asked pointedly.

"Then we'll have learned something important," he said. "And it won't have been a wasted kiss."

She looked skeptical, but also a little hopeful. Itachi crossed his fingers that her skepticism would prevail over her hopefulness because he definitely didn't want to disappoint her again.

"Okay," she said. "You can kiss me."

Quickly, before he lost his nerve, Itachi leaned across the table and pressed his lips to hers. Given the fact that this kiss was a very bad idea, Itachi should have kept it chaste and left it at that, but he was still very curious. After once second, he parted his lips much the same way Sakura had done the first time she had kissed him.

Izumi, who had been tense and rigid up until that point relaxed against him, slackening her mouth as she sighed into his. He could feel her about to put her hands against his face, so he pulled back away from her and settled back into his chair.

"Wow," she said.

Itachi pressed his lips together. She touched her lips with trembling fingers, her eyes still fixed on her lap.

"Was that your first kiss?" Itachi asked, wondering if she had felt something he didn't. It hadn't seemed that special to him. No butterflies. No trembling fingers. Just an ordinary kiss, which Itachi felt was almost unpleasant when not accompanied by… romance? Was romance the missing ingredient?

Izumi nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" she asked, chancing a look up into his eyes. "Sorry?"

"I mean I'm sorry that I stole you first kiss," he said.

"You didn't steal it, Itachi-kun."

He did steal it. He knew that for a fact. He had asked her for it and she had agreed to it, sure. But, as he figured, it only solidified that he had no romantic feelings for her and now he would have to tell her that.

"Izumi—"

"Itachi-kun, are you okay?" she asked, interrupting him. "You look upset. You didn't steal it, you know. You have nothing to be upset about."

"I'm sorry, Izumi, I just don't think things would work out between us," he said, hoping that ripping off the bandage would be the least painful option.

"What?" she demanded, rage darkening her features again. "But you just kissed me and it was amazing."

"Was it?"

" _I_ thought it was."

"But you've never kissed anyone else, so how do you know?" he asked, echoing Sakura's advice – advice he previously thought was stupid, but it turned out to have its uses. "You need to kiss someone else and see if it feels the same."

"You're actually advising me to kiss _someone else_?" she demanded.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, of course—"

"This is the kind of behavior I would expect from Shisui," she said, cutting him off. "But not from you."

She stood up, dusting invisible dust from her pants, and stormed away, nearly knocking into their waiter in the process.

"Izumi, wait," Itachi called.

But it was too late. She circumvented the waiter, whose tray was now precariously perched on his hand before he was able to right it, and slammed the teahouse door shut behind her.

Itachi wasn't used to being embroiled in this kind of _drama_ , but he was determined to prove Sasuke wrong. He wasn't going to let this blow up in his face.

So after Izumi had stormed out of the teahouse, Itachi had asked the waiter to wrap their food up to go and had made his way back to the hospital, where he found himself pacing nervously outside Sakura's office door.

He knew that telling Sakura about his kiss with Izumi was the right thing to do. If they _were_ going to embark on any kind of relationship with one another, they would need to start by being honest and open.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that she would be upset with him. That was the last thing he wanted, but _not_ telling her seemed like it could easily lead to the whole 'blowing up in his face' thing.

Suddenly her office door swung open and a very frazzled looking Sakura emerged. Her eyebrows flew up in surprise when she saw him. She glanced down at the packaged food in his hands and then up to his face, which most likely mirrored a bit of her confusion.

"Itachi," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uhh, brought you some lunch," he said.

This only seemed to confuse her even more, her brows furrowing as she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside her office and shut the door behind them.

"I thought you went to lunch with Izumi," she said. Her tone was carefully neutral, which said a lot about her feelings at that moment, given that she was prone to sporadic outbursts when angry.

"We didn't exactly get to the lunch part," he said sheepishly.

"Oh?"

"I think I may have upset her."

"You think?"

"I definitely upset her," he conceded.

"That's unfortunate," she said with deliberate slowness. She then let her eyes drift down to the package in Itachi's hands. "That smells good," she said. Her stomach, ever the opportunist, growled. Itachi's lips twitched with amusement.

Itachi passed the package to her and watched her plop down at her desk and tuck in to Izumi's lunch. After a couple of rather large mouthfuls, Sakura took Itachi's lunch out of the package and passed it to him over her desk.

"Sorry," she said with her mouth still full. "I'm starving."

Itachi took the food with a grateful smile and began to eat as well. They ate in silence for several minutes – Sakura's constant shoveling of food into her mouth preventing her from speaking, and Itachi's lack of gumption preventing him.

When she had devoured every bite (and had even scraped the last vestiges of food from the corners of the plastic container), she dumped the trash into the bin by her desk and let out a contented sigh.

"So," she said, her voice taking on a new determination. "I had a little chat with Izumi today."

"Did you?"

"Yep," she said curtly. "And it appears that she is completely smitten with you. Can't say that I blame her."

"I am aware," he answered, hoping that Sakura would take the lead on this conversation.

"And so you must also have been aware that she wanted to convince you that you and her would be a good match," Sakura continued.

"Did she tell you that?"

Sakura nodded.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Nothing at all?"

She gave him a pointed look. "I know you aren't stupid, Itachi," she said. "I didn't want to encourage her to go after you."

"I see."

"Unless, of course, that's what you want, in which case you should tell me now," she said matter-of-factly.

"It's not what I want," he said. "However, I think I should tell you that I did kiss her."

Her eyes lit up with amusement, which was not the reaction Itachi had been expecting. She stood up and crossed over to the other side of the desk and sat down on it, directly in front of Itachi.

"Taking my advice, huh?" she asked. "Maybe I shouldn't ask you this question, but how does she compare?"

"Sakura," he said admonishingly.

"You're right," she said. "That's hardly an appropriate thing to ask."

"You have a bit of an edge over her since you've been teaching me about romance," Itachi explained. "I'm not sure if kissing her would have felt any different if we had been sitting under the stars in the Valley."

"You could take her up there and test that theory," she said, mirth glittering in her eyes.

"Or I could kiss you in the least romantic scenario and see how that feels," he said, pleased that Sakura didn't seem upset, but also a little concerned that she wasn't.

"Now there's an idea," she said jovially. "How does in my office after an impromptu lunch meant for another girl sound?"

She leaned in close to him, hovering over his seat. Itachi was so relieved that she wasn't upset. The girl hovering over him now was definitely not the same girl who had treated Iori, or the same one who was constantly berating Naruto.

No, this Sakura wasn't so angry or volatile.

"It sounds pretty romantic, to be honest," he said, leaning in a little closer himself.

"Then maybe we shouldn't—"

He cut her off with a kiss - a searing kiss that he did his best to use to convey his utter infatuation with her. Kissing Izumi had been nothing like this. Kissing Izumi didn't make his heart race or his nerves tingle.

If kissing Izumi in the teahouse was considered more romantic than kissing Sakura in her office, then there was absolutely no way that romance was a factor in his penchant for Sakura.

But Sakura wasn't having it. She shoved him away with a firm hand on his chest - a hand that lingered there even after their kiss had been broken.

"Itachi, let's slow down for a second," she said.

He nodded in understanding. He was about to ask her to marry him and stay by his side forever because he couldn't possibly imagine wanting to be with any other girl the way he wanted to be with Sakura. But she was right. That was the opposite of what they needed to do.

"Doesn't it concern you that Tsunade-sama implied that I should marry you to gain access to your clan's funds?" she asked.

"I found it distasteful," he admitted. "But it makes sense from her perspective."

"How on earth does it make sense from her perspective?" Sakura asked.

"Sasuke told her we are dating."

He watched her eyes widen and her eyebrows somehow be raised and furrowed at the same time. "But we aren't," she said, looking more panicked by the second. "I mean, we, uhhh, we're just… Fuck! Why would he tell her that?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that Sasuke does not approve of us," Itachi said, trying to remain tempered in the wake if the rising wave of rage he could feel building up in Sakura. "I think he believed that Tsunade-sama would not approve either. I don't think he anticipated that she would use this as an opportunity to fund your project."

Sakura sighed deeply and leaned back against her desk. "What are we going to do, Itachi?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "We don't have to do anything."

"Tsunade-sama's suggestion was completely inappropriate," she said. "As was Sasuke's meddling. We can't let them try to manipulate us."

"We won't be manipulated," he assured her.

She didn't look like she believed him.

"Sakura, are you serious about me?"

She looked away from him demurely, which was not typical behavior from her so it worried Itachi.

"I'm not sure where I stand with you exactly," he explained. "And I'm fine with where that is. I would just like to know."

"You think I've got a couple other guys I'm fooling around with on the side?" she asked heatedly.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Sakura," he said soothingly, as if brushing her anger away with the low timber of his voice. Surprisingly, it seemed to work. "Whatever would make you the happiest is what I want for you."

Coming from someone else (like Shisui), she might not have believed him. Sakura was no stranger to cheesy lines, Itachi assumed. She was a beautiful girl, of course. And while Itachi had uttered the sentence in an effort to calm her down, he still meant it, and it seemed that Sakura understood that.

She melted a little bit, sliding off her desk and kissing Itachi's cheek.

"That's very sweet, Itachi," she said against his cheek.

He reached up and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "There is another reason I asked," he said. "While we may have found it in poor taste, Tsunade-sama is right. If we marry, I can use the funds however I choose."

"No, Itachi," she said firmly. "I am not going to marry you to get access to that money."

"That's not what I'm suggesting," he said. "Just hear me out. Let's say you start a fundraiser and raise enough money for the project's initial startup – enough to get you through the rest of the year. If we continue our relationship and decide we are ready to be married by the time you need more funding, then you'll have access to the funds you need."

"But if I start the project and then we break up I would lose access to that funding and then the project would bankrupt the hospital," she argued. "And that's putting the ethical issues aside."

"Those issues only apply to us," he said. "We can do whatever we want to. And I hope we wouldn't break up, but if we do, I will still fund the project. I'll even sign a written contract if you wish."

She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment, the emotion evident on her face. It nearly broke Itachi's heart to see her look so conflicted.

"You would fund the project against your father's wishes?" she asked. "For me?"

He laughed. "Well, the fact that it's for you is just a bonus," he explained. "I think that a children's psych ward is exactly what this village needs and I'm very proud of you for being the one to initiate it. Regardless of what happens between us, I'm going to help you see this project through."

"Itachi…"

He smiled at her and she smiled back and for one second it felt like they had everything figured out.

"Okay," she said after a beat of silence. "I'll answer your question. Truthfully, I was on the fence about you. You're an Uchiha, after all. My teammate's brother. My former crush's brother. And he clearly is not okay with it. But. You are about as perfect as any human could be and I'd be a fool to say no to you."

"I'm far from perfect, Sakura."

"Yeah, I agree, but you're closer to it than anyone else I've met," she said with a chuckle. "If you want to be in a serious relationship then we can get serious. But you're going to have to curb the marriage talk because we are no where near ready for that."

"Right," he said. "I do want to be serious, so I hope you don't take this offensively, but I think we should keep this a secret for now. If my family finds out they are going to put a lot of pressure and scrutiny on you. I don't want to put more stress on you. And if word gets out that the funding for your project is coming from my family, it will look like you're a gold-digger."

"Who says I'm not?" she asked with a wink.

"I'd gladly give you all the money I have," he said, mostly joking.

"Don't say that," she admonished. "We aren't serious enough for that kind of talk yet. In a year, if you still feel the same way, then you can give me all your money."

"Deal," he said, pressing his lips to hers.


	7. Chapter 7

In the following weeks, Itachi watched as Sakura planned her fundraiser. They fell into a routine. Sakura would work her shift at the hospital and come home to her apartment to find Itachi and Ino waiting for her with all the essential fundraiser planning tools.

They had established a location – the Hokage tower, which Tsunade was gracious enough to offer to them for free. The Akimichi clan had offered to cater the event at a discounted price in lieu of a donation and the music had been taken care of by a group of civilian boys that Itachi felt had much too strong a penchant for Sakura (though he wouldn't complain if it helped their cause).

That left only the decorations and seating to be handled.

"I can supply flowers and garland," Ino offered, "but decorating a space this big is going to be a challenge for just the three of us."

"We don't have the funds to hire a decorator," Sakura said, not bothering to look up from the seating chart that was open on the table in front of her.

The three of them were huddled around Sakura's kitchen table, each with their own mini-project laid out on the table. Truthfully, Itachi hadn't expected to find himself so hands on with the project, but he enjoyed the work (even more so with Sakura's presence). He didn't even mind that Ino was usually there and that she incessantly teased the two of them for their secret relationship.

"We can always ask our friends for help," Itachi suggested.

"You mean like Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

He gave her a wry smile. "I will ask Sasuke," he answered. "But I was thinking everyone on teams 7 through 10."

"Shikamaru won't do it," Ino said, "But Choji probably will. I can ask everyone else tomorrow."

"Thanks, Ino," Sakura said, giving the blonde a warm smile. "I really appreciate all your help with this."

"Of course, Forehead," she replied. "Happy to help."

Itachi didn't understand the somewhat antagonistic relationship Sakura and Ino shared, but he saw how close they were and was glad that Sakura had a friend like Ino to help her out when she needed it.

At first, he had been very much against telling Ino about their relationship. Ino was a known gossip and was just generally someone that Itachi found insufferable. But it had been difficult to hide such a thing from Ino, whose ability to snoop far exceeded the best-trained investigator who ever lived – especially where her best friend was concerned.

Sakura didn't seem to mind that Ino knew. She also seemed pretty confident that Ino wouldn't spill their secret. And that appeared to be true thus far. As far as Itachi knew, no one other than Sasuke, Tsunade, and Ino knew about their relationship.

But while their relationship had become official, it had started to feel less like one than before. Itachi had not been alone with Sakura in over a week. Between her shifts at the hospital, his sporadic missions, and planning the fundraiser, they hadn't had time to do anything romantic again.

For someone who had lived his entire life up until almost a month ago with no romance whatsoever, he found himself desperately craving it.

With some internal resolve, Itachi decided that tonight after they were done planning he would try to do something romantic for Sakura.

"I think that's all we can do for now, guys," Sakura said, shutting the binder in front of her with a heavy thud. "If you can get people to help, Ino, then we can start decorating tomorrow and have everything ready for the fundraiser by the end of the week."

"Sounds good," Ino said, getting to her feet. "I've got to get going anyway. I'm meeting Sai for dinner, so I'll see you tomorrow."

She shoved her folders and binders in her pack and made her way to Sakura's front door, but just as she cracked the door open, she looked back at Itachi over her shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid like get her pregnant, okay, Itachi?" she said, much to Itachi's horror.

Before he could respond, Ino had already slammed the door shut and was well on her way.

Itachi turned back to the table and saw Sakura sitting with her arms crossed and smug smile on her face. "I think you should get me pregnant just to spite her," she joked.

"What kind of life do you think there is in Konoha for an illegitimate pink-haired spite baby?" he asked.

"I don't think our baby would have pink hair," she said, "That's a recessive gene."

He ignored the way his heart squeezed in his chest when she mentioned _their_ baby.

"Sakura, I want to do something romantic," he said.

"Right now?"

He nodded.

"Well, I didn't have anything planned," she said. "But I suppose spontaneity is romantic in itself."

"I just want to spend time with you without Ino and without having to do anything for the fundraiser."

"You mean like relationship stuff?"

"Yes, exactly," he said. "What types of things are boyfriends supposed to do for their girlfriends?"

"You aren't my boyfriend," she replied. "So you shouldn't be doing those things."

"I'm not?"

"No, we're just dating," she said, earning a look of confusion that bordered on pain form Itachi. "Casually dating, you know?"

"I didn't know that."

"Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

He nodded again.

"If you still want me a month from now, then we can make it official," she answered.

" _If_ I still want you?"

He had to admit, even if was just to himself, that he was a little disheartened by what she was telling him. He was still very much clueless about this sort of thing and he hadn't realized that there were different levels of relationships.

"Of course you can't know how things will turn out," she said. "We seem to have the romance part down pretty well already, but there are other aspects, too, you know. Are we able to have good conversation? Do we see the same future together? Do we want similar things? Can we handle the day-to-day small things? Will little flaws annoy us? Time changes things. It's impossible to know."

He considered her questions and realized that they all made perfect sense. Their relationship wasn't just a matter of kissing in romantic locations – they had other things to worry about.

But one question stood out to him.

"What do you mean by 'day-to-day small things?'" he asked.

"Like if I want chicken for dinner, but you want fish. Or if I have the TV up too loud while you want to take a nap," she answered.

"We can always have whatever you want for dinner," he answered, because it truly didn't matter to him and right now he felt the most important thing was that Sakura was happy.

"That's easy for you to say now, when I haven't annoyed you by being aggressively irritable while I'm on my period, or clogging the shower drain with my hair."

"How do you know all this?" he asked. "You haven't had a boyfriend before, have you?"

"Nothing long term, no," she answered. "And this is precisely why. People in close proximity tend to annoy each other."

"So you think it's inevitable?"

"No, I think we'll have to wait and see whether or not it happens," she said. "And if it does, whether or not we'll be able to live with it."

"Can we start now?"

"Start what now?"

"Annoying each other," he said. "Or being in close proximity."

"Ah," she said, the beginnings of a humored smile on her face. "Are you asking specifically about the close proximity part?"

"I certainly enjoy being close to you," he said.

"Okay, I've got an idea," she said. "Why don't you watch a movie with me?"

"Sure," he said. "It doesn't sound too romantic."

"Great," she said, beaming at him. "What kind of movies do you like, Itachi?"

He shrugged. "I don't really watch a lot of movies," he answered.

"Okay, what about a horror movie?"

That sounded unpleasant, Itachi thought. But he didn't want to annoy her by forgoing her suggestion. "Let's do it."

Watching a movie with Sakura was the exact opposite of what it sounded like. Itachi had seen movies before, obviously, but Sakura seemed to have an entire routine for such an activity – something Itachi had never seen before.

She had turned off every light in her apartment, casting pitch darkness around them. She claimed this was to make it feel scarier. She also microwaved a bag of popcorn and set out a couple of drinks for them, which she never once touched during the movie.

Instead, she had sat down next to Itachi on her couch, curling up around his body underneath a thick quilt she had fetched from her bedroom.

This was not innocuous. It was not un-romantic. He felt no twinge of annoyance with her at all. In fact, he felt a burgeoning heat in his gut as she laid her head down on his shoulder and hiked one of her deliciously long legs up over his lap. Her hand was curled into a loose fist that sat precariously on his chest and would slid lower and lower occasionally, her fingers teasing and curling over his abdomen before they would wander back up and settle over his heart.

If she realized what a profound effect this had on Itachi, she made no indication of it. Her eyes were glued to the TV. He could hear her occasional gasp as something violent or disturbing happened on screen.

Itachi couldn't find it in himself to pay attention to the movie.

When the movie had ended, Sakura removed her shoe and tossed it at the light switch, casting light around the room once again. She remained pressed intimately against Itachi, sighed as she settled more warmly against his side.

"This is nice," she said, nuzzled her face near his neck.

"Too nice," he said. "I thought we were supposed to be practicing being annoyed with one another."

"No, we're practicing doing mundane things," she argued.

"This doesn't feel mundane."

"Does it not?" she asked. "What could be more mundane than watching a movie?"

"I'm beginning to get the feeling that nothing I do with you can be mundane," he said.

"We'll see," she said. She turned the TV off and he caught sight of their reflection. They looked good together, he thought, especially when she smiled like that. "Time will tell us what we want to know."

He hoped that time would tell them good things.

The day of the fundraiser was a frantic day indeed. Itachi had woken up early that morning to help Sakura and Ino do a few last minute preparations. Afterward he had gone straight home to get ready himself.

By the time he had returned home, his father and mother were already dressed and ready to leave.

It had taken some convincing on his part to get them to agree to go. Fugaku was still very much against funding the ward, but because he saw this as an important social event (and because he saw that it was important to Itachi), he had relented and agreed to go.

He had even agreed to make a sizable donation (though Itachi knew this was only because he wanted to out-do the other clans).

"I think this is an infinitely more tactful way of gaining funding," Fugaku said to his wife and she roughly combed her fingers through his hair, "than asking the most prestigious clan in Konoha to fund the entire thing."

Itachi cleared his throat, wondering if they were aware he was in the room.

"Oh, Itachi," Fugaku said. "We were just on our way to the fundraiser. Good job on getting them to change their tune about funding."

"That's not what happened, Father," Itachi insisted. "I asked you for money because I have a personal interest in this project. No one encouraged me to ask you."

Fugaku shook his head. "I know Tsunade," he said, and Itachi noticed he dropped the suffix from her name. "That is exactly the kind of thing she would ask someone to do. That woman is all about money."

Itachi couldn't really argue there.

"But don't worry," Mikoto said, peering around her husband's shoulder to look at her eldest son. "Tonight is all about having fun. No money talk. Right, honey?" She patted Fugaku's shoulder for emphasis, giving him a wide and yet somehow stern grin.

"Right," he replied, casting Itachi a skeptical glance.

The fundraiser was in full swing by the time Itachi had arrived with him family. The band was playing their music to which a crowd of people had gathered to dance to in front of the stage. Wallflowers had already begun to grow, lining the perimeter of the room with their plates of food and glasses of wine. Near the stage Itachi spotted Ino collecting money at the donation booth. Tsunade was beside her, looking severely out of place in her typical outfit while everyone else was dressed in their formal wear.

Itachi scanned the room for a mysteriously absent pink-haired girl, but came up short. He did, however, spot Naruto lurking near the food, piling a precarious amount of food onto his already full plate.

"At least Naruto is here," Sasuke said to Itachi's right. It had been clear that Sasuke did not want to come tonight and had only agreed to at their father's insistence. Before Itachi could reply, Sasuke was off, flitting to Naruto's side where he proceeded to stay for the remainder of the night.

"Oh, this looks lovely," Mikoto gushed as she gazed at the flowers and decorations Ino had spent all night putting up. "Come on," she said to her husband, grabbing his arm and pulling her along through the throngs of people. "Let's go make our donation."

Fugaku merely grunted as he followed his wife across the room. Itachi, too, followed his mother, afraid of the conversation that might occur between his father and the Hokage in regards to the funding of Sakura's project.

"Ah, look at this," Tsunade said as they approached the donation booth. "The Uchiha family is here. I didn't think you would come, Fugaku-san."

"It would be unseemly for our clan to miss such an event," he replied evenly, though Itachi could tell that he was annoyed. "Besides, I think Sakura-san has earned herself a sizable donation. It's my understanding that she is in charge of this project, yes?"

"That she is," Tsunade said with a smug smile. "And I'm sure she appreciates her favorite family helping her out."

"Favorite family?" Mikoto asked. "I dearly hope that has nothing to do with Sasuke. I've told him a thousand times not to be so cruel to her."

"What?" Tsunade asked, bewildered. "I'm not talking about Sasuke. I'm talking about—"

"Tsunade-sama," Itachi interjected, giving the Hokage a warning glare and hoping that was enough to deter her from spilling the beans about his relationship with Sakura. "I was hoping I could speak to you about the Iori situation."

"Itachi, don't be rude," Mikoto said. "Tsunade-sama and I were speaking."

"He's right," Tsunade said, seemingly catching on to Itachi's game because he was definitely not right and he didn't care one bit about Iori anymore now that that particular mission had been completed. "There is something we need to discuss in private. I'll let Ino take care of you."

She gestured to Ino, who was flirting with a man who had just left a generous donation. At the sound of her name, Ino looked up and smiled. Before Itachi could properly greet her, Tsunade was already dragging him away to the corner of the room.

"I gathered that you don't want me to mention your relationship with Sakura—"

"Alleged relationship," he interrupted.

"But I actually do have an update on the Iori situation," she continued, giving him a pointed glare. "He's being removed as a feudal lord. The other feudal lords are going to vote for who will take his place. Sakura's in the clear."

"That's good to hear," he replied.

"Listen, Itachi," she said, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't be giving your family shit about the way they spend their money. It was completely inappropriate for me to suggest you get married so you can access that money. I'm sorry."

If Itachi were more expressive, he might have let his jaw drop. Was the incorrigible Tsunade actually apologizing to him?

"Don't give me that look," she snapped. "I'm not so proud that I can't admit when I'm wrong. I was only so vehement about the situation for Sakura's sake. But Sakura was the one who suggested I apologize. So, really, Itachi, I'm sorry."

"Sakura suggested you apologize?" he asked, thoroughly confused by the relationship Tsunade had with her apprentice. Did Tsunade value Sakura's input and opinions that much? Just how close were they that a mere suggestion on Sakura's part would lead to an actual apology from Konoha's most stubborn woman?

"In case you haven't noticed, Sakura has a soft spot for you Uchihas," she said dryly. "I personally don't understand it, but whatever."

Itachi pondered this for a moment. He was well aware that his family was at odds with the village council. Itachi himself didn't harbor those same volatile feelings, but he could somewhat understand why his clan would be anxious about the council who relegated them to the outskirts of the village, who constantly was withholding information in an effort to keep the Uchiha family out of the fray of things. Tensions had always been high between the Uchiha and the Senju.

But Sakura had a sway over the Hokage. And now Itachi had a sway over Sakura, which could be used to bolster the relationship between the village council and his clan.

Perhaps in time Itachi could use that sway to strengthen the ties between the Uchiha clan and Konoha. Perhaps he didn't need to play devil's advocate for both sides anymore. They could be unified, finally.

"I appreciate your apology, Tsunade-sama," Itachi said. "If it had been up to me I would have given no second thought to funding the entire project. Perhaps when I am clan head we can have a more symbiotic relationship."

"I would very much like that, Itachi," she replied with a genuine smile. "Now," she said taking hold of Itachi's shoulder and swiveling him around to face the entrance. "I see a pink-haired girl who looks like she could use a bit of company."

Itachi's gaze followed Tsunade's pointed finger to the room's entrance where Sakura had just entered. She was dressed in an elegant white ball gown, sleek and snug against her delicate curves. It was strapless, he noticed, showing off the creamy skin of her chest, the softened shadows beneath her collarbone.

But his eyes were immediately drawn to the gaudy red chain that clung to her neck. She had removed some of the links so that it fit her more like a choker.

He watched her eyes scan the room, looking for someone, perhaps. When they settled on Itachi, she broke into a wide grin and rushed over to greet him. Itachi flicked his gaze over to where Tsunade had been standing only to find that she had graciously and stealthily disappeared.

"Itachi," Sakura greeted, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Sakura," he said, struggling to keep the smile on his face from breaking too wide.

She took a step back away from him and gave him a quick twirl, letting the hem of her dress fly up a few inches. "I look good, don't I?" she asked, grinning. "It look me two hours get ready, so it better have paid off."

"And you look good, too," she said after a beat of silence during which Itachi unashamedly let his eyes wander over her.

"Yes," Itachi said once his eyes had landed back on her face. "You look very good."

"I see your family made it," she said, glancing over his shoulder at his parents, who were still speaking with Ino at the donation booth. "I should go say hello. I need to check in with Ino anyway."

She took a step forward toward the donation booth, but Itachi's arm shot out to block her path. He couldn't put into words exactly why he wanted to avoid Sakura speaking with his family (particularly his mother), and even if he could, it wasn't something he could tactfully tell Sakura.

"Itachi?" she asked, utterly confused.

"Perhaps we should make a quick round of the room first," he said. "We can come back to them later."

"Who's 'we?'" she demanded, hands on her hips. "It will certainly be harder to keep our secret if we're together all night."

Itachi shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He hadn't been implying that they should stay together all night – only that he didn't want to speak to his parents just then. But really, now that he thought about it, he would have to spend all night without her because she was absolutely right. They couldn't be seen linking arms and greeting guest together all night without blowing their secret.

"But you look so pretty," he said, shifting her focus as far away from his parents as possible. "How can I stay away from you all night?"

She glared at him, not buying his false flattery. "You know who else is pretty tonight? Ino. Maybe you should stay at the donation booth with her. I'm sure she could use the company."

He tried his best not to grimace at the idea. Spending the entire night with Ino was the only thing worse than Sakura spending all night with his parents.

"And what will you be doing?" he asked, swallowing the tinge of annoyance that was burgeoning in his chest.

"I'm going to have to work the room and explain what all this donation money is going toward," she answered. "I need to encourage people to give the most money they can and I think that once they hear my ideas they'll be a bit more generous."

He couldn't really argue with her there. That was what the entire event had been organized for, after all.

"Alright, Cherry," he said, giving her an affectionate, but purely friendly pat on the head. She scowled, pushing his arm away. "I'll help Ino at the donation booth. And I'll try my best to keep my eyes off you, but no promises."

"You sound like Shisui and I don't like it," she said, crossing her arms in a pout.

"He's my best friend," Itachi answered with a shrug. "It's not too unusual that I would pick up some of his habits."

"I've never seen you use any of those _habits_ on anyone else," she said accusingly.

"Of course not," he said with a slight grin. "I was saving them to use on you."

"Well, fuck," she said with what Itachi presumed was mock-annoyance. "That's pretty romantic."

He gave her a self-satisfied smirk to which she rolled her eyes. "Alright, you cheeky fucker," she said tersely, but not without a touch of mirth. "I'm going to work the room. Try to keep Ino in line, would you?"

Before he could answer (with a negative, because who would actually be able to keep Ino in line?), Sakura was gone, already disappearing into the crowd.

With a sigh, Itachi turned to the donation booth.

"Could you quit looking so grumpy?" Ino demanded. "You're scaring away potential donors."

Itachi flicked his eyes up to Ino. "I'm not grumpy," he said.

"Well, you _look_ grumpy," she argued. "So could you not?"

He sat up a little bit, pushing his chair farther away from the booth. He wouldn't necessarily call himself grumpy, but she had a point. It had been nearly two hours since he had spoken to Sakura and his boredom had reached explosive levels.

It was torture to watch her flit around the room, flirting and chatting up the other clan heads, asking for donations. She didn't look bored at all. She looked beautiful and fun and engaging and he would have given anything to be at her side while she worked, soaking up any of her extra attention.

To make matters worse, she would occasionally catch his eye and tease him with a covertly lifted skirt that showed him a little more thigh than appropriate or a saucy wink accompanied by a languorous hair flip. For someone who had complained about his more Shisui-like behavior, Sakura was doing an awful lot of flirtatious teasing.

"Sorry," Itachi said to Ino, folding his hands neatly in front of him on the booth and waiting patiently for the next donor. He kept his gaze focused on his linked fingers and determinedly away from Sakura.

"You really find Sakura _that_ distracting?" Ino asked.

Itachi gave the blonde a confused look. They had hardly spoken to one another in the couple of hours they'd been at the booth. Ino had been doing most of the work (mostly because she did most of the talking and barely let Itachi get a word in edgewise).

"Distracting from what?" he asked. "If I had something to do, I would be doing it."

"But you don't, so you're just going to stare at Sakura all night?"

"I'm not staring at her."

"Uh huh," she said, clearly disbelieving. "I'm sure she was tugging down her neckline and flashing seductive smiles in this direction for _my_ benefit."

"She's the only interesting thing in this room to look at," Itachi argued, giving the room a quick scan to see if something that could contradict his statement was there.

There wasn't, of course. His parents were mingling with the Hyuuga clan (though Itachi could tell even from this distance that their conversation was terse at best), Sasuke and Naruto had holed themselves up in a semi-private corner where Sasuke looked just as bored as Itachi was, even amidst the onslaught of Naruto's chatter. Tsunade and Jiraiya were circled up with a few members of the council and an equally bored-looking Kakashi, who was _not_ reading Icha Icha.

"Well, you're in a room full of shinobi, so you might want to be a bit more subtle than that," Ino said.

And again, she had a point. Sakura truly was the only interesting thing in the room to look at, and if anyone else had been staring at her all night, they would have seen those lascivious behavioral details.

"You're right," Itachi said. "I should tell her to stop."

He stood up, pushing his chair away from the booth.

"No, no, no," Ino said, wagging a condescending finger at him. "You stay here. I'll tell her. It wouldn't do for you to whip out your dick at a black tie event."

"I'm not going to whip out my—"

"Just sit still and try not to look grumpy," Ino suggested, already flitting away from the booth and into Sakura's direction. "I'll be right back."

Itachi contemplated crossing his arms in a pout, but deciding that it would be undignified, he opted for sulking with his arms crossed instead. He watched Ino approach Sakura and whisper something into her ear. Sakura leaned in closer to hear the blonde's words and then cast a surreptitious glance at Itachi.

She then proceeded to roll her eyes and give Ino a pointed look. Ino merely shrugged and patted Sakura on the back before turning back to Itachi and making her way back over to the booth.

"Sorry, I had to steal your fun, Itachi," she said as she approached. "She's going to keep things PG (maybe PG13) from now on."

"Thanks," Itachi said dryly.

"Truthfully, I'm glad Sakura finally has an outlet for all that pent up sexual frustration," Ino said flippantly.

Itachi blinked, not sure whether he trusted himself to push that topic a little more. He could hardly consider himself an outlet for her sexual frustration. They had literally just agreed to keep sex off the table for now.

"Poor thing is so clueless about sex," Ino continued, oblivious to the concerned and confused look on Itachi's face. "She waited on Sasuke for too long. The rest of us were out awakening our sexualities while she was fantasizing about your piece of shit brother."

Itachi opened his mouth to retort with something witty and maybe a little bit mean.

"No offense," Ino said, killing whatever words had been on the tip of his tongue. "Anyway, I think she's having her own sexual awakening now. I mean, just last week I walked in on her masturbating, for fuck's sake."

"What?" Itachi snapped, feeling heat rise to his cheeks.

"I know!" Ino exclaimed. "I was on my way to Sai's place because he was going to take me out dancing. I stopped by Sakura's apartment first because she has this really awesome swishy skirt that is great for dancing and I was going to borrow it from her. But, like, I opened her bedroom door and there she was, all sprawled out on her bed, legs as wide apart as they could go (and she's a kunoichi, so they can spread pretty far). She had her hand down—"

"Ino," Itachi interrupted, a little surprised by the shrillness of his own voice. "This is hardly an appropriate subject of conversation."

"Oh, come on," she urged. "It's just the two of us. I know you have as much interest in Sakura's sexual antics as I do."

"You invaded her privacy," he argued. "You walked into her bedroom without knocking."

"I'm her best friend," she said. "Sakura has nothing to hide from me."

"Was she upset with you?"

"She threw a lamp at the door, so probably."

"That was really—"

Itachi lost his train of thought as a flash of pink caught his eye again from the other side of the room. He should have been avoiding her gaze, but now more than ever he felt the urge to look at her.

And it was a good thing he did, because Sakura was standing next to his mother, both of them laughing and talking with one another. He watched his mother place a hand on Sakura's arm and smile warmly at her. It didn't seem to be a crisis yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

"Shit, Sakura's talking to your mom," Ino said, following Itachi's gaze over the where Mikoto and Sakura were now giggling together. "That can't be good. Your mom doesn't know about you two, does she?"

"Uhh, no," Itachi said, getting to his feet. "I need to go intervene, I think. Can you watch the booth?"

"Sure," Ino said, but he barely registered her response as he made his way over to the two most troubling ladies in his life.

"Oh, Itachi," Mikoto said, extending her arm to him as he approached. "Sakura was just telling me about her plans regarding children who have the Sharingan. She's very bright, isn't she?"

Itachi's gaze focused sharply on Sakura. "You have a specific plan regarding Uchiha children?"

"Yes," she answered, beaming at him and completely unaware of his now intense scrutiny of her. "Specifically with regards to the way the Sharingan is awakened and the Curse of Hatred. I have some really good ideas, I think. I can't wait to delve a bit further into that research once the ward is ready."

"I see," Itachi murmured, trying to gauge his mother's reaction to this. "Mother, what do you make of this?"

"Oh, I think it's a great idea!" Mikoto said, again touching Sakura's arm. Itachi had to force himself to drag his eyes away from where his mother's fingers were latched around Sakura's wrist. "My heart absolutely broke for you and Sasuke," she continued, "not knowing what tragedy you would have to endure to awaken those eyes. I'm happy that someone is finally addressing the issue. Even your father seems to think it's a necessary evil."

"I guess that means I shouldn't bring it up, then," Sakura said, still smiling in spite of the seriousness of this conversation. Then again, Mikoto was smiling, too. Only Itachi seemed to be seized by the gravity of the situation.

"You mean you're trying to circumvent the path to the Sharingan?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light, but it came out more clipped.

"Itachi, don't be rude—"

"Not circumvent it, Itachi," Sakura said. Her gaze was sharp now. "Think of the path to awakening the Sharingan as a train track. It's a set path. However, I think I can built a second, parallel track that will ultimately lead to the same goal, but without the intense hatred that seems to be the crux of the way the path works now."

"If my father hears this he'll withdraw his donation," Itachi warned. "He doesn't like outsiders meddling in Uchiha business."

Itachi himself didn't feel all too comfortable with what Sakura was suggesting.

"Itachi," Mikoto said firmly, but with tenderness. "You think this is a good idea, don't you? It could prevent the needless suffering of your future children."

Itachi glanced at Sakura again, the only candidate so far to be the mother of those future children. He tried hard not to think about all those conversations he'd had with her about how obsessed she was with the Uchiha clan. Did that have something to do with why she had come up with this plan? Was he a fool for letting this infatuated girl get close enough to him to actually do some real damage to his esteemed clan?

He clenched his fists at his side, feeling a swell of anger balloon up in his chest. He caught Sakura's eye without meaning to and saw the confusion and concern etched on her face.

"Well, that's all still a long way off," Sakura said, and Itachi couldn't quite place the tone of her voice. She seemed nervous, almost. "We still have to reach our funding goal and all that. Anyway, I have something I need to take care of really quick. If you'll excuse me…"

She bowed low to Mikoto before giving Itachi a grim smile and taking her leave. Itachi watched her walk away, thoroughly confused, annoyed, and nervous.

"Itachi?" Mikoto asked, touching his arm lightly. "Are you alright? What's gotten into you?"

Itachi covered her hand with his and closed his eyes, trying to think for a moment. He tried to suppress the sudden feelings of anger that he had. He had known that Sakura was going to be researching the Uchiha clan specifically. She had told him as much. She wanted to research the Hyuugas as well. It certainly wasn't wrong of her to want to help as best she could.

Yet for some reason he felt a surge of possessiveness over his clan and their doujutsu. It wasn't Sakura's business to intervene. She had no right.

Mikoto's hand tightened on his arm. He opened his eyes and saw he concerned, motherly gaze on him. She only wanted to protect him. He hadn't known her feelings about the Sharingan and the inexplicably cruel path toward awakening it, but he was easily able to understand them. He had felt the same thing after he had awakened his own Sharingan and then realized that his precious little brother would have to endure the same agony.

"Do you think she can do it?" Itachi asked, his voice hardly above a whisper. "Do you think she can create a parallel path to the Sharingan?"

"I don't know," Mikoto said, shaking her head. "But that girl has a big heart and she's very capable. She managed to get your father to come to this fundraiser, didn't she?"

Itachi had been the one to do that, but he supposed that by some extension, that was Sakura's doing as well.

"Yes, she did," Itachi agreed. "I think I need to go speak with her."

"Go on," she said encouragingly. "I need to go find your father, anyway."

He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Okay, mother, but please don't mention any of Sakura's Sharingan research to him," he implored.

She laughed, touching her palm to his cheek. "Of course I won't," she said. "That would be the best way to prevent the research from happening, wouldn't it?"

Itachi winced because that opened up a whole new can of worms.

"Thank you," he said.

He found Sakura sitting on the roof of the Hokage tower, staring up at the starlit sky. She was crying, much to his horror, her face silvery and wet as she turned it up to the skies above.

She noticed his presence immediately and rubbed furiously at her cheeks as he approached and sat down beside her.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, following her gaze up to the moon.

"I'm not crying," she insisted with a steady voice. If he hadn't seen her crying already he might have believed her.

"Is it that time of the month again?" he asked, hoping to lighten the mood with a joke.

She punched his shoulder, and though he had been braced for it, he hadn't expected it to have a healthy amount of chakra behind it and he winced against the pain and what would inevitably be a rather large bruise.

"I don't know why you're upset," he said, rubbing his shoulder, "but you should be proud. You hit your funding goal and the number keeps rising. You'll have plenty of money for your ward and you didn't even have to marry me."

"Maybe I should marry you anyway so no one will bat an eye when I try to create a safer path to the Sharingan," she said, her voice laced with bitterness. "But wait," she continued, giving him a harsh look, "you'll probably want to withdraw the offer because non-Uchihas shouldn't be meddling in clan affairs."

"Well, first of all, I never offered to marry you," he said pointedly. "And second, if I married you, you would be an Uchiha and you'd have just as much right to meddle as any other Uchiha."

"Yeah, right, like your clan wouldn't look down on the sole pink-haired Uchiha."

"Sakura…"

"It's not just you," she said. "The Hyuugas already expressed that they don't want my research applied to them. The Yamanakas want to protect their mind jutsus so they don't want me anywhere near their children's heads. So far, the only people interested in letting me pursue my work are clans that already have a healthy mental status. Turns out that everyone wants to look like they support my cause, but they don't actually want to support it."

He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but she jerked away from him.

"Put yourself in our shoes," he said. "Clans have traditions and secrets and skeletons in their closets. It's daunting to have the Hokage's apprentice want to rip through the minds of our children."

"Rip through their minds?"

"That's not what I meant—"

"So not only do you not support what it is I plan to do with the ward, but you don't even understand it," she said, shaking her head.

"I support _you_ ," he said. A beat of silence followed.

Sakura leaned back on her elbows and shut her eyes.

"Sakura, I don't want you to halt your research—"

"I wasn't going to."

"—but I think you should consider not spreading yourself so thin," he said, ignoring her interruption. "The Curse of Hatred has existed for a very long time. It's a lot of history to go through, a lot of things you don't understand because you aren't an Uchiha. It's a massive project to undertake and there are going to be a lot of people (including my father) who will oppose you."

He spared a glance at her and saw that her eyes were still closed and her lips were pressed together in a tight line.

"That's in addition to the other clans who also oppose your research," he continued. "You're smart. I beg you not to burn yourself out by following too many projects. The ward hasn't even been built yet. Don't get yourself down just yet. You can cross all those other bridges when you come to them."

"I'm not in the mood for this, Itachi," she said. She opened her eyes and gave him a pitiful look. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She leapt to her feet and crossed quickly to the edge of the roof.

"Sakura, wait!" he called after her.

But she had already disappeared.

The next morning Itachi woke up in a bad mood. After Sakura had left the roof he had gone back inside to help clean up only to have Kakashi immediately usher him back outside.

"Sorry, Itachi," the masked man said with a shrug. "But trust me, you're better off anyway. Sakura is about to unload onto Ino and you know how those two get when they're all riled up."

He didn't, but Itachi assumed Kakashi was right. So Sakura was going to vent to Ino all night while they cleaned up?

That left Itachi to go home and sulk some more – an action he had slowly made into a habit and begun to hate himself for.

And while he did spend a good portion of the night sulking, he also spent a lot of it thinking about what Sakura had told him. Part of him was angry that a civilian born who had nothing to do with the Uchiha would have the audacity so assert that she could somehow fix the Curse of Hatred. The Uchiha clan was one of (if not) _the_ most powerful clans in Konoha, possibly the entire five nations. It spoke a lot of Sakura's hubris that she thought she could handle a purported 'cure' for such a long standing and noble kekkei genkai.

But another part of him was intrigued. If she could pull something off, would her research help protect his future children and all future Uchiha children from suffering like every member of his clan had done so far? If that was something that was in the realm of possibility, shouldn't he be striving toward that goal instead of shying away from it?

Fugaku was definitely not going to like that and Itachi couldn't blame him. He was beginning to understand his father's adamant secrecy of the Uchiha clan's tradition and the riff between them and Konoha leadership.

But Itachi was also loyal to Konoha. He loved his village and aside from the Sharingan parts, he was happy to see Sakura's project come to fruition and leave a healthy and lasting impact on the shinobi world. The more logical side of him was saying to see this through, to wait and try to understand more of Sakura's research before he jumped to conclusions about her.

Because last night he had jumped to an entirely different conclusion of her – one he would need to think through some more. He hated to even think about it, but the more he did, the more it seemed like Sakura had used him. She hadn't had any interest in him before he showed interest in her. She was self admittedly obsessed with the Uchiha clan. Had she gotten close to him in an attempt to work more closely with the clan to gain their trust and their funding?

"Hey."

Startled by the sound of his little brother's voice, Itachi looked up to find Sasuke standing in his bedroom doorway.

"Hey," he replied. He wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to Sasuke right now, but as usual, he found it hard to dismiss him.

"You look a little down," Sasuke said. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Itachi nodded. It had been a long time since Itachi had felt this conflicted about something – a feeling that was only heightened by the fact that it revolved around a girl who had gone and gotten his hormones abuzz. Maybe a walk would do him some good.

"It's about Sakura, isn't it?" Sasuke asked once they were out on the street and strolling through the compound.

"Yeah."

"I tried to warn you," he said. A thick silence followed. Sasuke kicked a fallen tree branch across the street. "What did she do to you?"

Itachi glanced sideways at his brother, wondering why he would phrase the question in such a way. For all he knew, it could have been Itachi's fault.

"To be honest, I don't know," Itachi answered.

"Did something happen at the fundraiser last night?" Sasuke asked.

"Sort of," he said with a shrug. "I think she's upset with me."

"What for?"

Itachi paused as they walked back up on the fallen branch. He kicked it further down the street. Sasuke was a lot like their father. He probably wouldn't be all too pleased to hear about Sakura's plan and he already disliked Sakura enough. There was no reason to exacerbate that, so Itachi decided to avoid telling Sasuke about her interest in the Curse.

"Sasuke, what do you think of Konoha having a children's psychiatric ward?" Itachi asked. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I haven't thought much about it," he said. "But I guess it sounds like a good idea. I mean, don't we want Konoha to have the healthiest shinobi – mind and body?"

"Do you think we have healthy minds?"

"What, the general population of Konoha?"

"No," Itachi said with a shake of his head. "Me and you."

"Oh."

Silence fell again. Itachi gave Sasuke a few moments to deliberate on this. Sasuke's brow was deeply furrowed and his head tilted down as they walked. Itachi let his eyes bleed into their Sharingan red, memorizing the way Sasuke looked in that moment.

Itachi had been ten years old when he awakened his Sharingan. He had been on a routine chuunin mission – just a simple escort mission. But his team had been ambushed and he had watched two of his teammates die that day. That was what it had taken to get those eyes, he thought as he deactivated them and turned back to the road. He had to suffer for that power – and so did his team.

And Sasuke, too, had suffered for his eyes. Team 7 had been on an escort mission as well when they were betrayed by the man they were supposed to be escorting – a man they had been travelling with for weeks and had grown close to. Kakashi had made quick work of him before he could do any harm to Team 7, but the betrayal and the man's subsequent death had awakened Sasuke's Sharingan.

A bit belatedly, Itachi realized that Sakura and Naruto would also have experienced this pain and not had anything to show for it. They could have gone their whole lives without experiencing such a thing and it would have made little difference.

But for Sasuke it was necessary.

Historically, the Uchiha clan encouraged its children to seek out such pain in order to achieve those eyes at younger and younger ages. It hadn't been until recently that the clan leaders had decided that was inhumane.

But were the Uchiha really better off for that?

"I think we have to work a lot harder to have healthy minds than most people do," Sasuke said. "But I'm not really sure what it means to have a healthy mind."

"I'm not sure either," he confessed.

"What does this have to do with Sakura?"

"You said yourself that we have to work harder at our mental health than most others do," Itachi answered. "Sakura seems to recognize that as well."

"Naruto said she's been acting different lately," Sasuke said. "She's happier, less volatile. I can't help but wonder if that's because of you."

"What?"

"You two have spending a lot of time together lately, right?" Sasuke asked. "I'm just saying that her behavior and attitude are noticeably different."

"Really?" Itachi asked skeptically. "She still seems pretty volatile to me."

"Are you going to tell me what happened with her last night?" Sasuke demanded.

"What makes you think something happened last night?"

"Oh, come on. I'm not an idiot," Sasuke snapped. "And Sakura's behavior isn't the only one that's changed. You've been a lot more standoffish recently. Like you're avoiding Father and Mother and me. You seem to have had a good effect on Sakura, but it looks like she's had a bad effect on you."

"Mother and Father don't know about me and Sakura," Itachi pointed out. "It's taxing to have to keep that a secret sometimes."

"But, really, what is there to know?" Sasuke asked. "I thought things weren't that serious between you two."

"I don't know how serious things are," Itachi confessed. "I'm pretty sure she's upset with me right now."

"Why would she be upset with you?"

"I think I should have a conversation with her about that first before I answer," Itachi said wisely.

"Whatever," Sasuke said with a shrug. "But if it's serious, you should consider telling Mother and Father. You're the heir, you know. You can't just go around having secret flings."

"I thought you didn't approve of me and Sakura."

"I don't," Sasuke said. "But I do want you to be happy."

Itachi smiled, swallowing the surge of affection for his baby brother.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

A couple of hours later Itachi found himself knocking on Sakura's door. He knew she had asked for the day after the fundraiser off so she could have a little downtime. He imagined her curled up on her couch in the dark with a box of take out and a sad movie playing.

All day he had felt conflicted about what he might say to her the next time he saw her. In all honesty, he still didn't quite know. He only knew that he didn't like leaving things so strained between them.

"Itachi," Sakura said with obvious surprise when she opened the door.

"Hi, Sakura," he said. "May I come in?"

"I'm kind of in the middle of something right now…"

"Oh," he said, a little stunned. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dropped by unannounced. I'll come back later."

"No, it's okay," she said. He took a good look at her just then, taking in the dark shadows under her eyes and the pallor of skin. She looked tired and he wanted to comfort her somehow. "I'm just finishing something up now, so if you don't mind waiting…"

"Not at all," he replied, letting her lead him inside. She gestured to the couch, which Itachi was grateful to notice did not have any leftover takeout on it and was well-lit. He took a seat with no small amount of trepidation because he had already been nervous about this conversation to begin with, but now he had interrupted something Sakura was doing and he felt a nagging guilt in his gut.

Sakura disappeared into her kitchen and from the other side of the thin wall he could hear two voices – one Sakura's and the other also female and familiar, but Itachi couldn't quite place it.

A peal of Sakura's laughter rang out and Itachi twisted his fingers in his lap nervously.

A few moments later, Sakura emerged from her kitchen with Hinata Hyuuga in tow behind her. She had patches over both of her eyes, but she was smiling and holding Sakura's hand as she led her to the door.

Itachi studied the Hyuuga girl for a moment because for the most part he avoided the girl's clan. He admitted that it was mostly an ingrained prejudice and nothing personal he had against them, but he didn't see a reason to go seek out their company anyway. Her hair had grown a lot longer than he last remembered it. And that wasn't the only part of her that had grown. She had been such a small thing when she had been a genin, but as a man, Itachi found it hard not to notice her new curves.

"Thanks so much for your help, Sakura-san," she said, bowing low to the pink haired girl in front of her.

"Of course!" Sakura replied cheerily. "Before you go, let's take off those patches and see how well it worked."

Sakura lifted one patch from Hinata's head and then the other. Hinata blinked slowly, her white eyes looking every bit as milky as they usually did.

"Go on," Sakura said, "Test them out. See if you can look through Itachi's clothes or something."

Itachi cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Oh, Itachi-san," Hinata said. "I-I didn't realize you were here."

"Hinata-san," he greeted, nodding in her direction. Her face had flooded red, which created a striking contrast against her blue-black hair.

"Maybe try looking toward the Hokage tower," Sakura suggested. "Or maybe the training fields. Let me know what you see."

"Okay," Hinata agreed and activated her Byakugan. The veins around her eyes tightened and bulged, looking oddly out of place on her sweet, round face. She turned on her heel, looking in the direction of the Hokage tower.

"I can see all of it," she said quietly. "And it's so much clearer."

"That's because I cleaned up all that built-up chakra around your eyes," Sakura explained. "And with a little testing and research, I think I might have found a way to improve your range as well."

Itachi shifted his feet and furrowed his brow. He had known of Sakura's interest in the Hyuuga clan as well, but for some reason he hadn't thought she'd be pursuing them as hard as she was the Uchiha. He might ( _might_ ) have been biased, but he thought the Uchiha were a much more worthy clan to be studying.

And he was also a little relieved by this new information, because it seemed that Sakura's obsession was legitimately about health and medicine rather than his family.

"Of course," Hinata replied. "Same time next week?"

"Yep," Sakura answered, leading Hinata through the front door. "Say hello to Neji for me!"

"Will do, Sakura-san," Hinata said.

Sakura closed the door behind her and then sagged against it, sliding down until she had crumpled into a ball on the floor. A silence that was only a little bit uncomfortable settled around them, only to be broken by a loud gurgling from Sakura's stomach. She groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"I forgot to eat breakfast _and_ lunch," she muttered, probably to herself.

"Sakura…"

"Oh, right," she said, swiveling her legs so that they were tucked underneath her. "You wanted to talk to me, didn't you?"

"Maybe we should get something to eat first," he suggested.

"No, let's just get this over with."

"Pardon?"

"You came here to yell at me, didn't you?" she asked wearily. "For my behavior last night? Or because you don't want me meddling around with anyone's Sharingan or something."

"I didn't come here to yell at you."

"Oh," she said, looking thoroughly confused. "Then why did you come here?"

"I didn't like the way we left things last night," he said, kneeling down next to her. "And there was something that I wanted to clear up."

She gave him an apologetic look. "Itachi, I'm sorry for the way I talked to you on the roof," she said. "I was in a really bad mood because it seems like I keep doing all this hard work for nothing. It's just road block after road block with this project and it's starting to wear me down."

"I understand, Sakura," he said, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. He tried to stifle the feeling of butterflies kicking up in his stomach when he felt her leaning into his touch.

He quickly pulled his hand away and crossed his legs so that he was sitting directly in front of her.

"There is something that I wanted to ask you, though," he said, fixing her with a serious look.

"What is it?"

"Last night while you were speaking with my mother, I had a thought," he explained, "about you. About us."

She looked at him expectantly.

"When I heard you talking about the research you wanted to do on the Sharingan, and thought about how you were in love with Sasuke and then obsessed with Uchihas in general… well, it led me to believe that you might be using me," he said, feeling nausea brewing up in his stomach. "That you are only interested in me because of my clan and the fact that I was interested in you first."

She blinked incredulously at him, which made him feel even more nervous.

"Okay," she said slowly, dragging out the syllables. "So what's your question?"

He swallowed. "Is there any truth in that?"

She shifted a little so that she was sitting up higher than him and then jabbed her finger into his chest, "Okay, well, first of all, you fucking prick," she started, "I would never do that to you, or anyone else because I'm not a total bitch."

"I didn't say you were a—"

"Second of all, I was never in love with Sasuke. And thirdly, I'm not fucking obsessed with your stupid-ass family," she said heatedly. "In fact, right now the only person in your family I find remotely tolerable is your sweet mother, who was nothing but supportive of my research plans."

"Sakura—"

"So that's it?" she asked. "You came over to accuse me of using you and to point out that I'm fucking nuts over your family?"

"No, that's not—"

"Because if you honestly believe what you just told me, maybe you should just go."

A heavy silence followed. Itachi could hear his own heart beating in his chest, his blood rushing through his ears. And then another gurgling sound erupted from Sakura's stomach. With a wince, she let her head fall back against her front door. He could see tears tracking their way down her cheeks now and he felt an undeniably sharp guilt pinch him.

"I'll go if you want me to," he said quietly. "I came here to find out the truth, and I guess I did. I'm very sorry I upset you, Sakura."

She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, but did not move. For several tense moments Itachi wondered whether she wanted him to leave or not. She was still propped against the front door.

"Do you want me to—"

"I don't want you to leave."

"Should we get you something to eat?" he asked, relieved, but a little anxious.

"Itachi, did you really believe I was using you?"

"I didn't know," he confessed. "I barely know you, Sakura. I've never done anything like this before."

"So you thought all that romance stuff was just a ruse?"

"I didn't—"

"No, it's okay, Itachi," she said. "I wish you had said all this to me yesterday when we were on the roof, but I suppose I didn't really give you a chance."

Itachi fidgeted, trying not to let his eyes linger on the way Sakura's shirt was slipping off her shoulder because now was definitely not an appropriate time for that.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged apathetically.

"I don't know, either," he said, reaching out to pull the collar of her shirt up over her shoulder because it was distracting. He tried to ignore her sharp intake of breath when his fingertip grazed over her skin because that was distracting, too. "But I'm very sorry, Sakura."

"Sorry for what?"

"For accusing you of using me," he said. "And for making you cry."

"I'm not crying."

He reached out and touched the pad of his thumb against her cheek where he could see a teardrop. He then brought his thumb closer to his face to inspect it.

"No," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling it toward her, but without the aid of chakra she wasn't nearly as strong as he was. He pulled his arm toward his chest, pulling her along with it. She fell forward onto him as he fell onto his back, extending his arm to preserve the teardrop still clinging to the pad of his thumb.

"Don't look at that," she screeched, reaching her significantly shorter arms up to grab his thumb. Itachi laughed at her antics, his free hand coming to rest on her thigh, which was pressed intimately against his hip now.

"Okay, okay," he said, "Let me put it back."

Sakura stilled, which was good because she was straddling him and it was creating a dizzying friction down there and he wasn't sure he could take it much longer. He sat up a little bit, moving his hand from her thigh to the carpet behind him for support. He touched the wet pad of his thumb back to her cheek and smeared it across her cheekbone.

"Good as new," he said.

"I wasn't crying."

"Of course not," he agreed. "You have no reason to cry."

"I don't?"

He half smiled at her, still a little delirious from the shockwaves of heat that had coursed through him – that coursed through him still with Sakura still poised on his lap. "No," he said. "You're brilliant and resourceful, so I have no doubt that you'll get your project stuff worked out."

"That's not why I was… not crying."

He reached forward and threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her into a kiss – one that was chaste until it wasn't. He felt Sakura relax against him, her hands pressed against his chest. When he pulled away from her, he was exceptionally pleased to see a dazed smile on her face.

"You have no reason to cry," he said again, because he was certain that she had been crying because she thought she was going to lose him.

"You seem very sure of that."

"This is what you were talking about, wasn't it?" he asked. "When you said we might annoy each other."

She laughed. "Not quite," she said. "Me using you to get close to your family is a little more serious than leaving the toilet seat up.

"I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say.

Sakura wriggled against him. "I maybe reacted a bit strongly to what you told me," she said. "But you weren't wrong to be wary. It's only natural to want to protect yourself from heartbreak."

"And betrayal," he added.

"I won't betray you, Itachi," she said.

"And what about breaking my heart?" he asked. "Are you going to do that?"

She giggled and then leaned down to press a kiss against his jaw. "Maybe," she said. "Probably."

"I guess I shouldn't promise not to break yours, then," he said, smiling.

"You wouldn't be the first to break it," she said with a shrug. "But let's hope that you don't. And while we're on the subject, I want you to know that I do really like you and I'm glad that you told me about your feelings toward me. I might have never known otherwise, and I'd be really missing out."

"I didn't mean to imply that you…"

"Didn't like you?" she supplied. "I know, but that wasn't the first time you brought it up. It's true that I hadn't given you much thought before, but I wouldn't read too much into that. You are Sasuke's older brother, so that's a little weird. Plus, you're an ANBU captain and you're the heir and you're, like, a fucking brilliant shinobi. You're so far out of my league I had just never considered it a possibility."

"Out of your league?" he laughed. "Now you're just being facetious."

She laughed, too, shaking her head. "You have no idea how much of a catch you are, do you, Itachi?"

"No, I know," he argued. "I'm the heir after all. But I'm accustomed to my position in my clan being the most attractive thing about me. Sasuke is the lady killer, remember?"

Sakura scoffed.

"If I recall correctly, you preferred Sasuke to me, didn't you?" he teased.

He saw her attack coming, even with his Sharingan deactivated, but he was powerless to stop it. With one hand still supporting his weight and the other planted firmly on Sakura's hip to keep her from squirming, he winced as she lashed her hands out and twisted both of his nipples.

"Fuck!"

"Oh my god, Itachi, did you just curse?"

"That really hurt."

She scoffed again. "I used to think you were so fearsome," she teased. "What kind of shinobi can't even handle a purple nurple?"

"You used chakra," he accused.

"I did not."

He glared at her and leaned back so that he could free up his hand to rub at his newly sore nipples.

"Don't be such a baby," she said. "Here, let me fix it. Take off your shirt."

"I thought we agreed it's too soon for that," he joked.

She giggled and tugged at the hem of his shirt, pushing it up to his collarbone so that his entire chest was bare. "Too soon or not soon enough?" she asked, surveying the damage she had done.

Truthfully, it hadn't hurt that bad, but now he could see that she had actually done quite a number on him. He could already see yellowish bruises forming under his skin. They would certainly be purple by morning if left untreated.

"Sorry, Itachi, that does actually look pretty painful," she said. "I'll take care of it, though."

She reached up and placed her palms over his chest. Itachi inhaled sharply at the strange sensation of her chakra being channeled directly into his nipples. He felt them go stiff under her hand, even more sensitive now than before.

He looked up at Sakura to find her staring at his exposed abdomen with a furious blush on her cheeks. When her healing chakra had receded, she dropped her flattened palms against his chest and slid them lower, lower until they were lingering just above the waistband of his pants.

She looked dazed again and Itachi could see her pulse beating wildly near her throat. He was filled with a surge of masculine pride because it was obvious that she was turned on and that his half-nakedness was why. He smirked, a little amused in spite of himself because he could also feel his own blood running a little hotter, especially with the way she was trailing her feather light touches across his abdomen.

"My eyes are up here, Sakura," he said lowly

"I'm not interested in your eyes right now, Itachi," she said, toying with the waistband of his pants. He felt her thighs tighten around him and then she wriggled against him hard, coaxing a groan from him.

"What in the actual fuck?"

Immediately Itachi was on guard because he hadn't sensed anyone approach (but then again, he had been entirely focused on something else). Sakura sprang to her feet and Itachi pushed his shirt back down over his chest and quickly joined her.

"Naruto, how the hell did you get in here?" Sakura demanded.

"I came in through your bedroom window."

"Why?" she shrieked, looking entirely too panicked. Naruto was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching her with confusion and scrutiny, but mostly confusion.

"I don't know, Sakura, it's how I always come in, isn't it?" he said, appearing to be nervous now. "I mean, how could I have known you'd be dry-humping Itachi on your living room floor?"

"Well I'm kind of busy right now—"

"Obviously."

"—so maybe you should leave."

Naruto ground his teeth together and flicked his eyes over to Itachi, who was doing his best to be as unnoticeable as possible. Of course it didn't matter, because he had been caught red-handed. But as embarrassing as it was to have been walked in on in a very compromising position with Sakura on the floor, Itachi couldn't find it in himself to feel ashamed. In fact, he felt a little thrilled.

"Sasuke isn't going to like this, you know," Naruto said. "How long has this been going on?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sasuke already knows," she said. "And it's none of your business."

"Really, Sakura?" he demanded. "How long have we been friends? You'd tell Sasuke before you tell me? I thought you hated Sasuke."

"I don't hate Sasuke," Sakura said, glancing quickly at Itachi before returning her attention to Naruto. "And I didn't tell him. He just figured it out. Or, I mean, I guess we didn't hide it very well…"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a resigned sigh. "But you're right, Naruto, we've been friends for a long time. I should have told you," she said. "But no one else knows, so you have to keep quiet about us."

"Why is it a secret?" he asked. "Are you pregnant or something?"

"She's not pregnant," Itachi said, nipping that rumor in the bud.

"I'm not pregnant," Sakura echoed. "It's complicated, Naruto. Just please promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Okay, okay," he said. "I promise."

"Good. Thank you. Now what are you doing here?"

"Kakashi and Sasuke are waiting for us at the training grounds," he said.

"Oh, shit, I totally forgot we were team sparring today," she cursed. "Let me go get changed really quick."

"I'll just meet you at the training grounds," Naruto said, glancing at Itachi again.

"No, just wait for me," she said, already on the other side of her bedroom wall. Itachi could hear her shuffling through her closet. "It'll only take a minute." She then slammed the door shut, leaving Itachi alone with Naruto.

The two awkwardly stared at one another for a moment because this was an unexpected way for them to see each other and Itachi wasn't sure what the proper protocol for a situation like this was.

"So…" Naruto drawled after a few moments of silence. "You and Sakura, eh?"

Itachi grunted his acknowledgment, but said nothing.

"What's she like in bed?" he asked. "Is she aggressive?"

Itachi gave Naruto an incredulous look, floored that he would ask something like that so openly and without shame. Of course Itachi didn't know the answer to that because he hadn't slept with Sakura (yet), but now he was thinking about it. She probably _would_ be aggressive in bed, and that was worrisome and exciting all at the same time.

He was saved from having to dignify that with an answer by Sakura emerging from her bedroom, dressed in her shinobi gear with her pack slung over her shoulder.

"Sorry to run out on you like this, Itachi," she said, giving him an apologetic look, though he didn't think she had anything to apologize for.

He was just glad they'd had that conversation. He felt he could relax a little bit now.

"It's okay," he said. "I need to get going anyway."

"I'll see you later, then?" she asked.

"Of course."

Sakura shut off the lights and opened the front door, holding it open for the two of them.

"What, you're not going to kiss her goodbye?" Naruto asked, elbowing Itachi in the ribs.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura said, throwing a glare in his direction.

But for once Naruto had the right idea. Itachi bent down and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips.

"Goodbye, Sakura," he said, taking no longer than a second to absorb the absurdly adorable shock on her face before he leapt up onto the nearest rooftop and made his way back to the Uchiha compound.


	8. Chapter 8

Itachi didn't have a real plan when he showed up to the training grounds with Shisui in tow. He just wanted to mess with Sakura a little bit. He had seen a side of her that he wanted to spend a little more time exploring.

"So this is about Sakura?" Shisui asked, laughing as they walked toward the left-most training ground. Sakura and her team had taken the center ground and were warming up to spar. "I should have known."

"I wanted to take a page out of your book and tease her a little bit," Itachi answered, tossing his pack to the base of a nearby tree. "But I also want to watch her spar a little – maybe even spar with her, time permitting."

"What do you mean by 'tease' her?" Shisui asked. "That didn't seem to work so well for you last time."

Itachi lifted his shirt up over his head and tossed it on top of his pack.

"Oh, you meant with your body," Shisui said.

"It sounds vulgar when you put it that way," Itachi said defensively.

"It is vulgar, Itachi," Shisui said with a grin. "That's what makes it so perfect." He lifted the hem of his own shirt, but Itachi grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"No, keep yours on," Itachi said.

"Don't want the competition, huh?"

"I'm just trying to save everyone here from having to see your pot belly."

"Oh, ha ha," Shisui said dryly, but he left his shirt on anyway. "Now what should we start with? Taijutsu?"

Itachi pointed over at Sakura, who had yet to notice them. She was squared off with Kakashi in a heated taijutsu spar. Itachi activated his Sharingan so he could see her movements better. She was using her chakra-enhanced strength, he noticed, but it was mostly defensive. Kakashi was much faster than she was, so she evaded him by punching craters into the ground or uprooting trees to toss into his path.

"I'd like to try out her style of taijutsu," Itachi said. "Her chakra control is probably better than ours, but I think we'll be able to match her style easily."

"She's not attacking," Shisui noted. "Are we just going to punch holes in the ground at each other's feet all day?"

"No," Itachi said. "We'll show her how it's done."

Itachi squared his shoulders to face Shisui and took a couple steps backwards. Sakura's chakra control allowed her to control the exact amount of chakra she brought to the surface of her skin and exactly when and where she released it. While Itachi's chakra control was good, he could admit that it wasn't close to what hers was.

But that didn't mean he couldn't give it a good try. He summoned a healthy amount of chakra to his fist and watched Shisui, waiting for his first move.

Shisui launched a couple shuriken, which Itachi dodged with a leap to his right. Expecting that it would be a diversion, Itachi kept his eyes trained on Shisui, who used his famed body-flicker technique to get close enough to land a punch.

But Itachi struck preemptively at the ground where he knew Shisui would try to approach him, kicking up a massive cloud of debris around them.

"Damn, Itachi, if you had hit me with that it could have killed me!" Shisui exclaimed, coughing up dust as he backed away.

Itachi took a step back as well, surveying the damage he had done. The crater in the ground between them was much bigger than he had expected it to be. It appeared that he had used a larger amount of chakra than he had intended to and then not been able to control it well enough to prevent it from basically exploding on impact.

"Yeah, sorry," Itachi said sheepishly. He glanced over at the central training ground to see the entirety of Team 7 looking directly at him. Sakura's hands were on her hips, but he couldn't see her facial expression from this distance so he couldn't tell whether or not she seemed agitated.

"Looks like you might have been a little on the nose," Shisui said, following Itachi's gaze to where Team 7 was standing.

Itachi answered with another swing of his fist – no chakra this time. Shisui caught it and began to twist Itachi's arm behind his back, but Itachi swept his leg under Shisui's to knock him to the ground. Shisui leapt back away from him and tried one of Sakura's tricks, grabbing the trunk of a nearby tree and pulling it down in between them. The resulting crash kicked up even more dirt and dust around them, and if it hadn't been for the Sharingan, neither of them would have been able to see anything.

Which was counterproductive to Itachi's goal now.

He signaled to Shisui to stand down and made his way out of the dust cloud.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Sakura demanded, running up to them with a definitively angry look on her face. "You're tearing up the training grounds! Can't you use the ones in the Uchiha compound?"

"We didn't want to mess that one up, Sakura," Shisui said with a disarming smile. "We have to use it."

"Sakura, do you want to join us?" Itachi asked. "We were just trying to learn better chakra control, and I hear yours is about as perfect as it can get."

Her glare melted into something a little more diminished.

"You can't just steal her from us," Sasuke said with a scowl. "We were sparring with her first."

"Aww, Sasuke, you can share, can't you?" Shisui asked. "For your brother's sake?"

"I'm not going to spar with you," Sakura said firmly. "I'm here with Team 7."

Itachi couldn't expect her to change her plans for him (even if she hadn't even remembered that she had plans to begin with). He had come here solely with the intentions of antagonizing/seducing her and it was hardly fair of him to 'steal' her away from her team.

But he wasn't going to go without at least getting a tiny piece of what he wanted. He lunged at her with lightning speed, aiming a punch for her upper chest. She didn't react quickly enough, much to his horror. He felt the impact of his fist crack her collarbone. He managed to catch the look of sheer disbelief on her face before she fell squarely on her back

"Itachi, leave her alone," Sasuke said tersely. "We're in the middle of something now."

Itachi ignored his brother and hovered over Sakura, holding out his hand to help her up. When she made no move to grab his hand, he crouched down next to her. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"Yeah, you fucking hurt me," she seethed. "You fractured my collarbone."

"Could you teach me how to actually break it?" he asked. "With chakra?"

"Are you serious?"

"Or maybe," he said, reaching out to touch her collarbone where he could already see it had begun to swell. He sent some healing chakra coursing through her, not really sure what he was doing. "You could teach me how to heal it."

"You must be out of your fucking mind," she muttered. "Shisui!" she screamed over Itachi's shoulder. "What the hell did you do to Itachi?"

Shisui let out a bark of a laugh and clapped Itachi on the back. "Sorry, Sakura, I can't take any credit for Itachi's handiwork this time," he said.

"How about we do a three-on-three?" Itachi asked.

Kakashi, who had been standing nearby and watching with a little confusion, but mostly boredom, decided he could chime in on that. "That's a great idea," he said. "Sakura are you out of commission with your collarbone or are you able to heal it quickly?"

"I'm fine," she said, giving Itachi a wry glare. "I just need a minute or two."

"In order to balance us out, we should have two team captains pick their teammates," Kakashi suggested.

"I call captain!" Naruto shouted.

"Anyone else?"

Sakura's hand shot up into the air, which amused Itachi quite a bit given that she hadn't seemed too keen on the idea in the first place. He laughed and gave her an amused smirk. "Choose wisely," he murmured lowly, for only her to hear.

"Okay, Sakura," Kakashi said. "Take your first pick."

"Sasuke," she said curtly, with no hesitation.

Itachi glanced over at Sasuke, expecting him to look annoyed. But instead he looked triumphant, which gave Itachi a bad feeling.

"Okay," Naruto said with a hint of annoyance. "Since you took Sasuke, I'll take Kakashi."

Kakashi, who didn't really seem interested in the more complicated power plays going on underneath everything, meandered over to Naruto and stood behind him.

"Shisui," Sakura said, again with no hesitation.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. It seemed like her strategy was to take away the teammates he would work the best with – obviously his own family. But Itachi had worked together with Kakashi in ANBU before and Sakura wouldn't have any particular reason to want to work with Shisui.

Other than maybe just to spite Itachi.

Shisui shrugged, but he had a massive grin on his face that also gave Itachi a bad feeling.

"Got your collarbone all sorted out?" Kakashi asked Sakura.

She nodded and grabbed onto Sasuke's wrist to help herself up. Sasuke begrudgingly helped her up, but he seemed to notice Itachi's hawk-like gaze on him, so he didn't let his hands linger on her.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Itachi," she said.

Beside her, Sasuke snorted. Sakura sent a heated glare in his direction, which he promptly ignored by darting off into the trees.

The second Sasuke was off, everyone else scattered as well, leaping up into the trees to confer privately with their teammates. Itachi landed between Naruto and Kakashi on a thick, covered branch, keeping his eyes on the training field should anyone make a sudden attack.

"Wow, you really pissed her off," Naruto said, nudging Itachi with his elbow. "What the hell did you punch her for?"

"She was going to dismiss me," he answered. "But I really wanted to see her fight."

"Well, you'll definitely get to see it now," Kakashi said. "Alright, Naruto. What's the plan?"

"We should take out Sasuke first," Naruto supplied. "He's the strongest and he'll probably feel like he has something prove against Itachi. I'll wait for his first move and then engage him."

"Don't forget about Shisui's speed," Itachi suggested. "He's quick and stealthy. Don't let him sneak up on you."

"Kakashi-sensei, you can take Shisui, can't you?" Naruto asked.

"I can give it my best go," Kakashi answered.

"Alright, Itachi, you help me with Sasuke first and then you can take Sakura," Naruto said. "She'll probably hang back at first anyway."

The three of them scattered just as several kunai were embedded into the tree trunk near where they had just been standing. Itachi followed the trajectory to the ground to see Shisui grinning up at them, twirling another kunai around his finger. Kakashi wasted no time engaging Shisui in taijutsu, throwing a particularly nasty punch aimed at his head.

Itachi turned his eyes back to the training grounds, his Sharingan activated. Naruto was right about Sasuke – he would definitely want to come after Itachi first. But he couldn't spot Sasuke anywhere, so Itachi leapt back up into the trees to find a good vantage point.

Naruto, on the other hand, had a much more direct approach. He stood dead center for everyone to see, grinning like an idiot. "Sasuke, you bastard," he yelled, "get your ass out here and fight me!"

For a few beats, there was complete silence. Itachi didn't expect Sasuke to rise to bait like that, so he wasn't sure what Naruto's game was.

But then a blur of motion landed in front of Naruto – Sakura, Itachi determined by the way the ground crumbled underneath them and debris flew into the air. He noticed with fascination that Sakura's punch hadn't kicked up nearly as much dust as his had – only larger chunks of debris.

Naruto jumped back away from her, and unlike before with Kakashi, Sakura engaged him fully on the offensive, throwing punch after punch.

While still keeping an eye out for Sasuke, Itachi watched Sakura and Naruto go at each other. Naruto seemed to be holding back a little bit (or rather, he wasn't using any ninjutsu on her). Shisui and Kakashi were still locked in combat, though now they had moved their fight into the trees where cover was easier to find.

Itachi again scanned the landscape for any sign of Sasuke, but he couldn't see his little brother anywhere and so he turned his focus back to Sakura and Naruto.

Naruto landed a heavy punch right in Sakura's face. Even from his distance, Itachi could see that it had knocked her out cold. Her body crashed back onto the ground, completely unmoving. He winced, more than a little irritated that Naruto had hit her in the face during what was supposed to be a friendly spar.

But he didn't stop there. Even with her already on the ground, Naruto pulled a Rasengan into his palm and aimed it for her unmoving chest.

Deciding enough was enough on her behalf, Itachi moved with lightning speed to grab onto Naruto's wrist and push him backwards away from her. He landed between them, prepared to engage Naruto himself. But as soon as his feet hit the ground, he realized his mistake.

Across the training field, he could see Naruto and Sakura still fighting one another, relatively unscathed.

And instead of Naruto's wrist, it was Sasuke's that Itachi was holding.

Sasuke twisted his arm around and heaved Itachi over his shoulder, tossing him onto his back. He then gathered Chidori in his palm, the blue sparks illuminating his smug features. He moved forward to attack, but Itachi rolled away from him, leaping closer back to the tree line.

"She wouldn't have liked that, you know," Sasuke said.

"Getting punched in the face?" Itachi asked, marveling that his brother would have used such a thing to create a genjutsu he knew Itachi would react to.

"No," Sasuke answered, moving closer to attack. "You coming to defend her."

Itachi flicked his gaze over to where Sakura and Naruto were still fighting. Naruto was limping now, trying to fend off Sakura's attacks at the same time. On the other side of the field, Kakashi had given Shisui a black eye, and for whatever reason, both of them were soaking wet now.

Itachi flung several shuriken at Sasuke. Now would be his best time to attack and bring Sasuke down while Shisui and Sakura were distracted. Sasuke dodged his shuriken and threw some of his own back, which Itachi deflected with a kunai. He lunged toward Sasuke, taking a more aggressive approach. They engaged in taijutsu, heated and rough.

After taking a solid punch to the gut, Sasuke staggered backwards a bit with a pained groan. Feeling a little more confident, Itachi took another step toward him, closing the distance between them to deliver his final blow.

But before his foot hit the ground, a blinding flash of pain erupted in the back of his head. He stumbled forward, right into Sasuke's newly formed Chidori. Itachi blinked in confusion before crumbling to the ground, clutching the wound in his stomach where Sasuke's Chidori had hit him.

"See?" said a voice behind him. Sakura? How had she gotten behind him? "And you thought I'd have to take my shirt off to distract him."

"I thought he might enjoy a taste of his own medicine," Sasuke replied.

Itachi glanced over to where Sakura and Naruto had been only to find Naruto on the ground, nursing a broken leg. Kakashi and Shisui were still fighting off in the trees based on the sounds coming from the dense brush, but neither of them were visible.

He rolled over on his back, staring up at Sasuke, who stood over his head, and Sakura who was standing at his feet.

"Would that have worked, Itachi?" Sakura asked, amused.

"Maybe," he said, his voice much more hoarse than he hoped it would be. "Take your shirt off and let's see."

She laughed and crouched down, touching his stomach wound with a feather light fingertip. "I think we won already," she said.

"No," Itachi said, attempting to sit up, but finding himself forced back against the ground both by the pain in his abdomen and Sakura's firm hand on his shoulder.

"Yes," she insisted. "This injury needs to be looked at right away."

Itachi glared up at Sasuke, who was still looking as smug as ever. "Nice work, Sakura," Sasuke said, holding his hand out to her. She gave him a high five and a smile before returning her attention to Itachi.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked.

In one last attempt to preserve his dignity, Itachi swept his leg under hers, knocking her to the ground beside him. She squealed and rolled onto her knees, glaring at him.

"You did," Itachi said. "But I'll forgive you if you kiss it."

"Gross," Sasuke said under his breath. "We're not done, you morons," he said louder. "Shisui and Kakashi are still fighting."

But when Itachi looked over in their direction, it seemed that they were no longer fighting. In fact, they were both laughing as they meandered back toward the rest of their group.

It seemed that Sakura's team had won, and while Itachi was disappointed by the encounter, he couldn't say that it was because his team had lost. He hadn't really had a chance to see what Sakura could really do, which was the entire point of coming out here (other than the whole teasing thing).

"You know, if you'd had a shirt on, it might have helped buffer the impact," Sakura said jokingly.

"And if you hadn't been wearing a shirt we could have ended this a lot sooner so I can take you to dinner," Itachi retorted.

"You're extra full of it today, Itachi," Sakura said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yeah, you're creeping me out," Sasuke said.

Itachi shifted himself to try to move into a standing position, but he cringed against the pain and fell back to the dirt, defeated.

"Okay, okay, stop moving," Sakura said. "Stay right here. I'm going to get my pack. I'll be right back."

She ran back to the center training ground to retrieve her pack. Once she was out of earshot, Sasuke crouched down next to Itachi. "Do me a favor," he said. "Don't flirt with her around me. I can accept that you guys are together, but that doesn't mean I want to see your attempts at seducing her."

"Seducing who?" Kakashi asked as he approached.

"Hey!" Naruto screeched, limping over to where they had all congregated. "Where's Sakura? I need her to fix my leg!"

"Get in line," Shisui said. "She's fixing my black eye first."

"Oh, please," Naruto said. "Let that heal on its own, you baby. I can't walk!"

"My Sharingan might be damaged!"

"I. Can't. Walk."

"Stop it," Sakura said, approaching them from behind. She tossed her pack to the ground near Itachi and kneeled down by his side. "I'm not healing either one of you. Go to the hospital."

"Oh, but you're going to heal Itachi?" Naruto demanded. "That's favoritism, Sakura. I have seniority! We've known each other for much longer!"

"Come on, Naruto," Sasuke said. "I'll take you to the hospital." He flung Naruto over his shoulder, which Naruto responded to by kicking with his good leg and hurling insults. Once they had made it off the training grounds and out of view, Sakura turned to Shisui.

"How's your eye?" she asked. "Is it that bad?"

Shisui shook his head, smiling a little bit. If Itachi hadn't been glaring at him, he might have asked Sakura to take a look at his eye, but he was a good friend.

"It'll be fine," Shisui said. "It's been a while since I've sparred with Kakashi here. I forgot how good he was."

"You're too kind," Kakashi said.

"Want to grab a bite to eat?" Shisui asked Kakashi. Kakashi was the only one of the six of them who had no idea about the relationship between Sakura and Itachi (or maybe he did and he was just good at hiding it).

"Sounds good to me," Kakashi answered. Itachi sent Shisui a grateful look. He could be a pain sometimes, but Shisui always had his back. "You guys coming?" Kakashi asked, peering down at Sakura and Itachi.

"Maybe later," she answered for them both. "Itachi's going to need a good deal of work. He got banged up pretty bad."

"Okay," Kakashi said. "Ichiraku?" he asked Shisui.

Shisui nodded, giving Itachi and Sakura a wink before he and Kakashi followed Sasuke's path off the training field.

Completely alone again, Itachi reached up and touched Sakura's collarbone. The swelling was gone and it looked perfectly normal now. She shoved his hand away and flicked his forehead hard.

"That's for being a jerk," she said.

"Is this really going to take a while?" he asked, rubbing hid forehead.

"No, it'll take five minutes," she said. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Pardon?"

"You broke my collarbone!"

"I wanted to spar with you."

"But I had already told you no."

Itachi opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it because she was right and now he felt a little guilty.

"You could have sparred with me another time," she said, digging into her pack and passing a cold canteen of water to Itachi. "All you had to do was ask. You fucking blindsided me."

"I shouldn't have done that," Itachi agreed. "I just didn't expect you to say no."

"Why not?" she asked, but her tone was soften and less accusing. "You knew I had plans to spar with Team 7."

"Yeah, but they're you're team," he argued. "You're around them all the time. It's not that bad that I want to steal a little of your time, is it?"

"But I'm not around them all the time," she said, even quieter. "Surely you noticed I haven't taken a mission with them in ages."

"I suppose…"

"I was on hiatus," she said. "After I had decided I was… over Sasuke, it was really difficult to be around him. He thought I was annoying and dead weight – and he was right. So we all agreed it would be best for me to take a break from Team 7."

"And your break is over now?" Itachi asked, feeling guiltier by the second.

"This was our first team spar in months."

"Oh."

Itachi swallowed the lump of regret in his throat, sipping from Sakura's canteen. She had moved her hands to his wound and was already pumping her healing chakra into him. It never ceased to amaze him how soothing her chakra could be.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry."

"I just want to get this straight," she said, keeping her eyes on her hands. "You came here – with Shisui, for whatever reason – with the intentions of sparring with me. And you planned to do this… by seducing me with your shirtless body?"

"It seemed like a pretty solid plan."

"Well, it didn't work, did it?"

"It kind of did," he said, sitting up with great effort, wincing through the pain. He kissed her, trying not to be too dissuaded by the unimpressed look on her face. He slowly eased himself back down, mentally cursing Sasuke for getting him so good with that Chidori.

"Stop being adorable while I'm upset with you."

"But I don't want you to be upset with me."

"Then you should have listened to me when I said no."

He didn't know what to say to that, and Sakura's hands and chakra were distracting anyway, so he closed his eyes and relaxed, letting her work her magic. She was right, of course, and mentally he kicked himself for being so shortsighted. It wasn't that he had expected this whole relationship thing to be easy, but he expected himself to be a little better at it. It was disheartening that he had already messed up.

"Sakura, I wouldn't have come here if I had known about your hiatus," he said.

"I know."

"I'm sorry I ruined your spar."

"You didn't ruin it," she said, still not meeting his eye. "In fact, I don't think Sasuke and I have ever worked that seamlessly together before."

"Nothing brings people together like a common enemy," he said, smiling at her.

She didn't smile back.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," she said. "Wouldn't you be mad at me if I had done the same thing to you?"

He couldn't quite put himself in her position, but there had definitely been times during their first mission together when he'd felt irritated with her, so he wasn't completely in the dark.

"I suppose so," he said. "What would you do? If you were in my position, I mean."

"Well, you _should_ beg for forgiveness," she said, catching his gaze and giving him a withering look. "But I'm not going to make you do that because I know you didn't know about my hiatus. But, please, when I tell you no, just listen, alright? I'm allowed to say no to you."

"Of course," he said, grateful that she seemed understanding. She removed her hands from his abdomen and tossed his shirt onto his lap.

"Put your shirt back on, Itachi," she commanded. "You're going to take me to lunch."

It might not have been the best idea, but Itachi decided that instead of taking her to a restaurant, he would bring her back to his house and cook for her. He preferred cooking to dining out anyway, and he knew that his parents would be gone until well into the evening.

And also, his home offered a lot more privacy than a restaurant did, which Itachi hoped might come in handy later.

"Isn't this a little risky?" Sakura asked, taking a seat at his kitchen table. "What if your parents catch me here?"

"They won't be home for a while," he answered, gathering an armful of items from the refrigerator and dumping them onto the counter.

"Oh, so that's why you brought me here," she said. "Trying to get frisky, are you?"

Itachi gave her a look, dropping the utensils he was holding on the counter. Maybe he did want to get 'frisky.' And he might not have known exactly what he was doing (and Sakura might have had a small advantage over him by being a little more well-versed in this relationship stuff), but he knew that Sakura probably wanted to get 'frisky' too. After all, she had been the one 'dry-humping' him, as Naruto put it.

"And what if I am?" he asked, leaning back against the counter.

"Then I look forward to seeing your seduction attempts," she said, crossing her arms.

He grinned and turned his attention back to the stove.

"You know if we ever get married I'm going to make you do all the cooking," Sakura said and the scraped the last vestiges of food from her plate. "That was delicious. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Itachi watched her take the last bite of her food, pleased that she had enjoyed it. "My mother taught me," he answered. "You should try her cooking. It's even better than mine."

"Maybe I should convince Sasuke to ask her to host a Team 7 dinner for us, then," she suggested.

Itachi opened his mouth to tell her that he could just invite her as his own guest, but closed it again, because obviously he couldn't do that. He furrowed his brow, a little annoyed that he couldn't be open about his feelings toward Sakura with his family. It didn't seem right.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

He took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "I wish we didn't have to keep this a secret," he said.

"Do we have to?" she asked. "I know you wanted to protect me from your family's scrutiny, but is it really that big of a deal?"

"It will automatically make our relationship more serious," he answered. "My mother in particular has already been pushing me to find a wife."

"You've never even had a girlfriend," she argued. "Do they expect you to marry the first girl you start dating?"

"I believe they thought I'd be a bit more logical in choosing a wife," he said. "They won't expect me to casually date anyone. They'll expect me to choose someone suitable to be my bride and ask her to marry me."

"That's insane."

"That's what it's like being the heir to a major clan."

"So you think they would disapprove of me?" she asked. Her tone was as neutral as possible, but there was an unmistakable sadness on her face.

"Of course not," he said. "How could they? You're the Hokage's apprentice. You have a good rapport with the village. Why would they disapprove?"

"I'm civilian born," she said. "I'd weaken the bloodline."

"Inbreeding is becoming a big concern now, so I doubt that will be an issue," he said. "It's probably a good thing. I'm sure you have other desirable traits to bring to the table. Your perfect chakra control, for instance."

Sakura's brow furrowed and she looked down at her empty plate. He felt her hand slacken in his.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's talk about something else, please," she said.

He pursed his lips, confused. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No."

"Sakura…"

A heavy silence followed.

"Okay, fine," he said. "Let's talk about something else."

"Do you still have that red shirt?"

Five minutes later, Itachi stood before Sakura in his bedroom, dressed (against his will) in the red shirt Izumi had given him.

"I can see why you don't like it," she said. "But damn if you don't look good in it."

Itachi willed himself not to blush, but it didn't matter anyway because Sakura was definitely not looking at his face. She giggled and touched the tip of her finger to the exposed skin just under his navel.

He caught her wrist and brought her hand up to his face, kissing her palm. It was a tender gesture, but it was mostly meant to keep her hands away from his body lest they create a problem with Little Itachi.

"Is this your attempt at seduction?" she asked.

"Is that what you want?"

She demurred a little bit, which he found incredibly sexy. "You don't know anything about seduction, do you?" she asked softly.

"I suppose not," Itachi admitted. "But I do know you can't take your eyes off me when I don't have a shirt on."

Her eyes narrowed and she looked like she wanted to protest that statement, but Itachi lifted his shirt up over his head and tossed it onto the floor. And then her eyes dropped to his chest, predictably. He smirked, feeling a little more cocky than usual.

"I bet I can say the same for you," she said. She unzipped her vest slowly, locking eyes with him. It was a test and he knew that, so he kept his eyes locked onto hers, even when she slipped the vest off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She still had her breast bindings on and he had seen her in that particular state of undress before on that night they were in the gazebo, so he didn't feel the same compulsion to stare at her.

But then she reached behind her and undid the clasp on her bindings, letting those, too, fall to the floor.

The room felt electrically charged all of a sudden. He kept his eyes on hers, which were sparkling with determination and lust, and maybe a little amusement.

"It's okay, Itachi, you can look."

He dropped his eyes, taking her in as quickly as he could before he snapped his attention back to her eyes. He had seen naked women before, of course. But it had never been quite like this.

"You activated your Sharingan."

He hadn't realized he'd done it, but he felt no urge to deactivate them now. Instead, he grabbed her waist, settling his hand against the curve of her hip. With his other hand he tilted up her chin and kissed her.

She giggled into his mouth, which was not exactly the reaction he had been hoping for, but it was still adorable so he smiled back into hers. She latched her fingers around his wrist and brought his palm from her face down to her breast and gave it a squeeze with his hand.

His body flooded with heat. He could feel it in his ears and his chest and his gut. She let go of his hand and brought hers to the back of his neck and pulled him in closer, still smiling as she kissed him. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her nipple. She gasped into his mouth, her smile dropping as this suddenly became much more serious for her.

Itachi didn't waste that opportunity to deepen the kiss, taking steps forward until she had her back pressed against the door.

And then faintly, Itachi heard the front door open.

"Itachi!" his mother called. "Are you home? Can you come help me with these groceries?"

Itachi and Sakura both paused for approximately one second before they were both fumbling around for their shirts. Sakura quickly zipped up her vest while Itachi grabbed a clean shirt from his dresser.

"Should I hide?" she whispered to him.

There probably wasn't a point in that, Itachi thought, because Mikoto could likely already sense Sakura's presence.

"No, just come with me."

He led her through his home into the kitchen, where Mikoto was sorting through grocery bags, unpacking everything. Itachi was nervous suddenly, completely unsure of how he would explain Sakura's presence to his mother.

"Oh, Sakura-san," Mikoto said. "I thought I sensed someone else here. Would you like to stay for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, that sounds lovely!" Sakura said, far too chipper, Itachi thought. Shouldn't she be more nervous?

"It won't be ready for a while now, so you just make yourself at home until then," Mikoto said, beaming at Sakura. "Itachi, help me put these groceries away, will you?"

Itachi jumped to his mother's aid, unpacking the groceries while she put them away. Sakura, as Mikoto suggested, made herself at home at the table, watching them.

"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Mikoto asked. "I thought Team 7 was sparring today. Isn't that where Sasuke is?"

"The spar turned out to be much quicker than we had anticipated," Sakura explained, giving Itachi a side eye. "Sasuke had to take Naruto to the hospital, so Itachi and I came back here so I could do a little research on his eyes."

Itachi gave her a sharp look because he would almost rather tell his mother the truth than let her think that he was handing clan secrets away.

"Really?" his mother asked. "What kind of research?"

"Today I'm just checking to see if everything's in working order," Sakura said. "But I think I've got a lead on how to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan without having to witness death or experience trauma."

"You do?" Itachi asked, his curiosity piqued. Why hadn't she mentioned this to him before?

"That's impressive!" Mikoto exclaimed. "I've never heard of such a thing. I'm sorry to intrude on your research. As soon as he's done helping me, he's all yours again."

Itachi did everything in his power to keep from turning bright red.

"Oh, I don't mind sharing," Sakura said, giving Itachi a wink while his mother's back was still turned.

"And congratulations, Sakura-san," Mikoto said. "I heard you met your fundraising goal. I can't wait to see what great things you'll do."

"Oh, thank you, Uchiha-sama," Sakura said politely.

"Please, call me Mikoto."

Itachi pushed back the uneasiness brewing in the pit of his stomach.

"Researching my Sharingan, eh?"

Sakura shrugged, leaning back against the wall. She sat on Itachi's bed, looking every bit like she belonged there.

"It's a believable lie, isn't it?" she asked. "And it doesn't even have to be a lie. I could take a look at them right now."

"Sakura…"

"I know, I know," she said. "You don't trust me."

He shook his head vehemently. "That's not it," he said. "I do trust you. It's just that this is a really big deal – letting you see this facet of the Uchiha. This is privileged information, you know."

"I look at Kakashi's all the time," Sakura argued. "And any other Uchiha who comes into the hospital with an eye related injury. I've got a full model of the Sharingan already memorized. Letting me look today wouldn't be giving me any information that I don't already have."

"Then why do you want to look at mine?"

"I wasn't lying when I said I had a lead about the Mangekyou," she said. Itachi shuffled across the room and sat down beside her, shifting until his back was against the wall next to hers. "I just want to verify something."

"Verify what?"

"That you and Sasuke have compatible eyes."

"Compatible?"

"For my theory," she explained.

"Would you explain this theory to me?" he asked. "Maybe I can fill in some missing information."

"I'll explain it if you let me take a look at your eyes," she bargained.

Itachi hesitated for a moment. Of course he would let her because she was likely the only person on the planet qualified to give medical care concerning the Sharingan (and he also had a soft spot for her, so how could he say no?).

But it was still a big deal to be letting her do such a thing, so he gave the appropriate amount of hesitation before he nodded.

"Okay, fine," he agreed. "But I want you to explain it while you're looking."

"Deal," she said, moving away from the wall and positioning herself directly in front of him on her knees. She reached up and put her fingers against his temples, her glowing chakra funneling into his eyes. "Would you mind keeping your Sharingan off for the time being?" she asked.

Itachi complied, letting his Sharingan fade back into black. He could feel her chakra everywhere in his head – not just his eyes. He felt extremely vulnerable all of a sudden, because he didn't know exactly what Sakura was capable of – if there were things she could see or do that he wouldn't want her to.

"Okay, Itachi, here's my theory," she said, forcing Itachi to focus on her words instead of the weird sensation of her chakra in his head. "Uchiha lore dictates that in order to awaken Mangekyou you need to kill your best friend. We now know that just experiencing trauma is enough to do so, without you having to kill anyone. We also know that it can take a while for that trauma to manifest itself by way of awakening the Mangekyou."

Itachi nodded in understanding. That had been one of the many reason the Uchiha clan had been seen as violent and terrifying. The nature of their kekkei genkai was thought to encourage violence within the clan, all for the sake of gaining power.

But, as Sakura said, over time the clan had learned that their eyes would awaken through other means.

"It's still pretty widely believed that trauma is necessary to awaken your eyes," Sakura said, "and even though I can't dispute that right now, I think I might have found a way to force them to awaken without trauma. There's a section of your brain that lights up when your eyes become awakened. I can manually force it to light up."

He felt a deep probing sensation in his head, something that caused his whole body to twitch for a moment. Alarmed, he reached up and grabbed her wrists.

"Like, that," she said, completely still under his touch. He pulled her hands away from his face, but let them continue to hover in front of him for a moment before she dropped them into her lap. "Sorry, I know that must have felt uncomfortable."

"It's okay," he said, even though he thoroughly disliked that feeling. "What does lighting up that section of my brain do?"

"On its own, nothing," she said. "But I think that if I transplanted your eyes into Sasuke and his eyes into you, and then tried lighting up that section, it would force your Mangekyou to awaken. Both of yours. And not just regular Mangekyou, but Eternal, in your case."

Itachi tensed up, his brow furrowing. "Are you serious?" he asked. He had long dreaded having to awaken his own Mangekyou (though he very much wanted to have it), but even more so he dreaded it for Sasuke's sake. He couldn't bear to think of Sasuke having to endure any length of suffering.

But here he was, presented with the possibility of avoiding it altogether.

"Sakura, how sure are you that you can do this?"

"Umm, eighty percent, maybe," she said, sounding unconvinced. "I'm one hundred percent positive that I can successfully transplant both sets of eyes. I'm not sure that I have every kink worked out of the theory, but I can always transplant the eyes back if I need to."

"What are the risks?"

Sakura smiled and grabbed his hands, holding them in her lap. "I'm glad you seem so enthusiastic," she said. "But I'm not sure of all the risks yet. I'm still learning, still researching. You can help me, if you want to. If you want to be more hands-on with the project."

"This is a big claim that you're making."

"I know."

He slipped his hand out of hers and tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear. She was smart and sweet and strong, and she liked him, which made him feel lighter than air. She was beautiful and charming and pleasant to be around. She was the total package, he thought,

Except he didn't quite trust her with his eyes, contrary to what he had told her. He didn't think she would intentionally betray him, and he didn't think she had any ill will toward him.

But at the same time, she was very interested in something that was none of her concern. And she worked very closely with Tsunade – a Senju, his father never let him forget.

He couldn't help that nagging feeling in his gut telling him that his father would consider his participation in Sakura's experiment as a betrayal.

"I know you don't quite trust me with this," she said as if reading his mind. "And I don't blame you. Your eyes are your most valuable weapon – and even if they weren't, you still see with them!"

Itachi's lips twitched.

"So I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do," she said.

"Anything?" he asked. "You mean the transplant surgery?"

"Well, yes, but not just that," she explained. "I'd stop all my Sharingan research if you really wanted me to. I really hope you don't want that, because I've worked really hard on everything I've done so far. But I completely understand why you wouldn't want some civilian girl meddling around in your clan's shit."

"You would really stop all your research?" he asked. "For me?"

She groaned. "No, you idiot," she said. "Well, yes… I know that your father doesn't approve of my doing this. Tsunade-sama has told me over and over again how careful I need to be around your family. But if your family really doesn't want me to do this, then I won't. It's really not my business and I fully understand that. I was only hoping that if I could show them what I can do, that they won't be so opposed to it – that they would see how much better things could be."

"Better?" he asked, with just a hint of contempt.

"I know you're not looking forward to awakening your Mangekyou," she said patiently. "Or Sasuke awakening his. I don't want to see either of you go through anything either. I want to help you."

Itachi took in a deep breath and held it. Everything she said made perfect sense, but something about it gave Itachi an odd feeling.

"Have you spoken with Sasuke about this?"

"Of course," she replied. "He's very eager to awaken his Mangekyou."

Itachi could easily believe that – Sasuke would do anything to be strong, and this seemed like a reasonable path to get there. And Sasuke didn't harbor the same resentment toward the village that his father seemed to have. Maybe Sasuke had the right idea.

"Hey, let's not think about it anymore," she said. "If it's bothering you, we can table it for now."

He grabbed her face and kissed her. "Sakura," he said when he pulled away. "I'm glad you brought this up to me. I think I'd like to talk to Sasuke about it."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she said softly, smiling and leaning in a little closer. She looked like she wanted another kiss, her eyelids drooping as her face neared his.

"Does Hiashi know that you're looking at Hinata's Byakugan?"

She sobered up and back away, pushing his hands back into his own lap. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because I know my father would not be happy to hear what you're planning with the Sharingan," he explained. "I imagine Hiashi would feel the same."

"So what, you're going to tell him?" she asked angrily.

"I'm just curious, Sakura," he said patiently.

"I imagine the Hyuugas are curious about you as well," she said. "But they have the tact not to ask me about you."

Itachi laughed at her brashness, though if he had been in a worse mood it might have annoyed him. "You're right," he said. "It was unfair of me to ask you that."

"Trying to use your boyfriend privileges to spy on a rival clan?" she teased.

"Oh, am I your boyfriend now?" he asked, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"I think I'll just refer to you as whatever is most convenient in the moment," she clarified.

"Well, I don't hate the sound of boyfriend."

"But you do hate the sound of Itachi-kun?"

Itachi grimaced.

"You're ridiculous," she said with a giggle.

"Is it so ridiculous that I have likes and dislikes," he asked. "Cherry?"

She smacked his torso playfully. "I'll let you call me Cherry," she offered. "If I can call you Itachi-kun."

"No."

"But, Itachi-kun!"

He grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her face down toward his mattress, moving to straddle her back. "Sakura," he said, pinning her down as she squealed and wriggled underneath him. "Don't be so difficult."

Sakura turned her head to glare at him over her shoulder. She rolled herself over and bucked up into him, attempting to free herself.

"Let me go, Itachi-kun," she warned. "Don't make me use chakra."

"Sakura, Sakura," he said mockingly. "If you want me to let you go, you'll have to repeat after me. I, Sakura Haruno,"

"I, Sakura Haruno," she groaned begrudgingly.

"Promise to never add any suffix to Itachi's name," he continued.

"Promise to never add any suffix to Itachi's name," she echoed.

"There," he said, releasing her arms, but staying perched atop her. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

She shook her head, grabbing his arms by the wrists. Without her guidance, he let his hands settle on her hips, his thumbs rubbing small circles into her hipbone. She stilled under his touch as he inched farther back so he could run his hands down to the creamy silk of her thigh.

Goosebumps emerged from her skin, peppering her arms and legs. Itachi smirked, feeling bold enough to let his hands wander higher, his fingers splaying over her ribcage.

She let out a contented sigh and Itachi looked at her face to find her eyelids had fallen shut and she had relaxed against the bed.

"You look comfortable," he said softly.

"Very comfortable, Itachi-kun."

With a mildly annoyed glare, Itachi settled himself down beside her, pushing her up onto her side so her could spoon her. She immediately pressed her back against him, folding her arms around his. She smelled like dirt and sweat and grass, which reminded him of being on a mission and was oddly comforting for whatever reason.

"Are we going to take a nap?" she asked.

"Shh," he hissed into her hair.

And then he closed his eyes.

"Itachi!" Sasuke called on the other side of Itachi's bedroom door. "It's time for dinner!"

After he heard Sasuke's footsteps receding, Itachi rubbed at his eyes and looked down at Sakura, who was still sleeping soundly and drooling on his pillow, somehow managing to look completely adorable while she did so.

"Sakura," he said, shaking her gently. "Sakura, wake up. It's time for dinner."

She flipped over, giving him a bleary-eyed smile. "I'm starving," she said. "And that nap was amazing."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and grabbed her by the hand. "Yes, it was," he said. "Now let's go eat."

He led her into the kitchen, where Sasuke and Fugaku were already seated, waiting for Mikoto to plate their food.

"Do you need any help, Mikoto-san?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, no, sweetheart," she replied. "You just take a seat."

She took her seat next to Itachi, which might have been a mistake. She probably should have sat down by Sasuke instead, but Itachi wasn't going to complain. Sasuke seemed to have some sassy remark about Sakura joining them for dinner poised on his tongue, but he had yet to say it aloud.

Fugaku had barely acknowledged Sakura's presence and Itachi had a sinking feeling that it was because of her research. But he didn't press the issue, even if he did feel that it was rude of his father to ignore her.

Mikoto passed everyone their food and joined them at the table. "So, Sakura," she said as she took her seat. "Tell us a bit more about this research you're doing into the Sharingan."

Sakura swallowed hard and Itachi shared that sentiment. He thought he had been clear to his mother that this was a topic of conversation that needed to be avoided around Fugaku.

"Oh, well, there isn't too much to tell you right now," Sakura said. "My next phase of research will have to include Uchiha who have yet to awaken their Mangekyou, but have already awakened their Sharingan. I'm going to have to find a few test subjects."

Fugaku's gaze was sharp on Sakura now as he regarded. Itachi felt nervous on her behalf.

"I think I might know a couple of boys who would be willing to help you," Mikoto said, her eyes flitting between her two sons.

"No."

Every set of eyes in the room turned to look at Fugaku.

"She will not be doing any kind of research on my sons," he said. He turned his gaze back to Sakura. "You may continue your research into the Sharingan (because no doubt you'll keep doing it with or without my permission). But you'll leave my sons alone."

"Forgive me, Uchiha-sama," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I didn't intend to use your sons in such a way. However, I would like to point out that I don't plan on damaging anyone's Sharingan. I'm only interested for educational purposes. Nothing nefarious."

"Educational purposes?" Fugaku asked. "This is the sort of education that is only pertinent to the Uchiha clan. I understand your fascination with our powerful kekkei genkai, but what do you have to gain from learning about the Sharingan when you aren't in possession of one?"

Sakura cleared her throat and Itachi thought he detected a hint of sass from her posture, which was definitely not a good sign. She did have a tendency to disrespect authority – especially with people she didn't agree with.

"Well, two people on my team have it," she countered. "And I am their medic, so any injury they may have, be it with their eyes or anything else, is my concern. I'd like to be able to give them the best quality of care possible."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes at her. Another bad sign. Underneath the table, Itachi reached for Sakura's hand and entwined their fingers together, hoping the intimacy would quell her anger a bit.

"Are you saying you don't have the ability to do so at present?" Fugaku asked.

Sakura shook her head. "There is always room for improvement, Uchiha-sama," she answered. "But my research regards the Mangekyou specifically – which I am only able to study now through Kakashi's transplant."

"And what exactly does this research entail?"

"Whether or not the Mangekyou can be manually forced to awaken," she said confidently. "Without the need for experiencing trauma or the death of a loved one."

Silence settled over the table. Sasuke fidgeted uncomfortably. Itachi would have given anything just then to know what he was thinking. Sakura said she had spoken to Sasuke about this before – he must have had some opinions on the matter.

Fugaku seemed dumbstruck. "What makes you think you can accomplish such a thing?" he demanded. "This is the way Uchiha have always been."

"I don't want to see Sasuke suffer," she said. "Or Itachi. Or any other Uchiha children. That is my motivation."

"I see," Fugaku said. His temper seemed to be reigned in now. "Explain to me exactly what this research is."

Sakura smiled, passing Itachi an amused glance before she launched into the more intricate details of her research.

A/N: I just wanted to give you guys a quick thank you for all your sweet reviews! I appreciate them more than you know. I half expected this fic to be a bit of a dud because of all the sickly sweet fluff, but I'm glad you guys like it! I've got one more chapter after this one and then an epilogue and then A Gift Horse is done!


	9. Chapter 9

"That went a lot better than I expected."

Sakura snorted. "I'll say."

He held her hand as he walked her home. It was dark outside and no one was around to see them, and after taking a nap with her, Itachi felt compelled to touch her more, everywhere. He rubbed his thumb along her knuckles as they walked. She sidled up close to him, infecting him with her body heat.

"But I'm not allowed to look at your eyes," she said, pouting.

"You can look at my eyes if you want to," he said. "My father doesn't control me."

Sakura laughed. "Just wait until you have a son of your own."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Always yours, Itachi," she said. "If your father wants me to look to someone else for my research, then I can't complain. It's far more generous an offer than I thought I would get."

"Sure, but whose eyes could you look at?" Itachi asked. "Shisui has already activated his Mangekyou. He's useless to you."

"Izumi?"

It might have been a joke – Itachi couldn't tell from her tone. But the thought of them spending any length of time together sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"What?" she asked sarcastically. "Why not? We could spend so much time bonding over our love for you."

He rolled his eyes at her.

"Seriously, though," Sakura continued. "She's a good contender. I've already checked out her Sharingan before. We know each other fairly well. It'll be fine."

"Sakura, no," he said. "I really don't like it."

She stopped walking, pulling her hand out of his so she could put it on her hip, which she jutted out in a pose he recognized from Tsunade. He prepared himself mentally for the backlash he knew he was about to receive.

"So your father is forbidding me from looking at you and Sasuke," she said. "And you're forbidding me from looking at Izumi?"

"Sakura, I'm not forbidding you—"

"Good, because I'm going to ask her if she'd like to participate."

He clenched his teeth, entirely unsure of how to proceed now. Should he accept that Sakura would do what she wanted? Should he try to put his foot down?

If he had been thinking more logically, he might have seen that there was no real reason for him to oppose Izumi and Sakura spending time together. It may have made him feel uncomfortable, but there was no reason why they wouldn't get along. If Izumi found out about their relationship, surely she would understand.

"Fine," he relented. "But who would be your second Uchiha? You need two for the transplant, don't you?"

"What about your mother?"

Itachi scoffed. "If my father doesn't want you looking at me and Sasuke, he won't want you looking at his wife either."

"Maybe we can ask Shisui if he has any ideas," Sakura suggested.

Itachi reached back toward her and clasped her hand again, yanking her back next to him so they could continue walking. She huffed, but did not protest, even when he let go of her hand and moved his own to the small of her back.

"That's a good idea," he said. "I'll ask him next time I see him."

He walked her up the front steps to her apartment, guiding her with the gentle hand on her back. She gave him a wry look before she dug her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said. "I'll see you later."

"You're not going to invite me inside?" he asked with a smirk.

"Not today," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight, Itachi-kun."

"Goodnight, Cherry."

In the following weeks, Sakura grew steadily busier. She was swamped at the hospital, training the new girls and continuing her efforts to get the new ward up and running.

In addition to that, she had started taking appointments with Izumi, and, at Shisui's suggestion, Tekka Uchiha, who was on the police force with Itachi's father. Itachi didn't much care for Tekka, but he hadn't awakened his Mangekyou yet and he was willing to let Sakura do her research on him, so he couldn't complain.

Itachi hadn't had much to do in that time. He had taken a mission or two – nothing too difficult, just standard C or B ranked. He has spent a good deal of time training with Sasuke or reading. His boredom was growing and he began to wonder if he should take Tsunade up on her offer to give him a vacation.

He didn't particularly need one, but he knew someone who did. It was with this thought in mind that Itachi made his way to Sakura's office with a box of dried papaya and a cup of coffee from her favorite stand.

"Itachi, what are you doing here?" she asked when he entered her open office door. She looked pretty rough – dark circles under her eyes and her hair a frizzy mess around her face. In spite of her rumpled clothes and haggard appearance, she smiled brightly at him, which Itachi found infectious enough to grin back at her as he passed his goodies over to her.

"I brought you a pick-me-up," he said. "I figured you could use it. You've been so busy lately I've hardly seen you."

She set aside the box of papaya and the coffee before she circled her desk and sat down on it, taking Itachi's hands in hers. "Thank you," she said softly. "I've missed you."

Itachi nearly cringed at the weakness in her voice. She sounded exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to fold her up into his chest and rock her to sleep. She leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before dropping her forehead to his collarbone. He heard her take in a shaky breath and release it, clinging to his chest with a desperation Itachi wasn't used to from her.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

She nodded against his chest, but clung even tighter to him. "I'm fine," she breathed. "I'm just so tired. So busy all the time. I can't complain because everything is going so well right now. I just feel like I need a break."

"A vacation?" he asked, pulling her face away from his chest so he could see her eyes. "You need a vacation. We should take one together."

She let out a bark of a laugh.

"Come on, just picture it," he urged. "You and me sitting on a nice, quiet beach. We could surf. Have you ever been surfing? We could build sandcastles and take naps. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I hate the beach," she said firmly, but she was smiling when she leaned back into his chest, which Itachi took as a good sign. "I fucking hate sand."

"We don't have to go to the beach," he said. "We could go anywhere you want."

"The mountains?" she asked. "We could rent a cabin. Build snowmen instead of sandcastles. Go snowboarding. We could have snowball fights. And then we could cozy up by the fireplace and take naps."

"As long as we can take naps," he laughed. And even though he wouldn't tell Sakura, he hated snow.

"I'll have to talk to Tsunade-sama about it," she said. "I'm not sure if now is the best time for me to be taking a vacation."

"You need a vacation, Sakura," he argued. "You're exhausted and you can't do your best work when you're exhausted. A vacation would do you a lot of good."

"Hey, you don't have to convince me," she said. "But there's also the fact that we would have to explain to people why we're taking a vacation together."

"We could just say we're on a mission," he said. "It wouldn't be the first time we took a mission together."

"I suppose that's true."

He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her lips gently. It seemed impossible now that she would allow him to touch her like this – that she let him kiss her and hold her hand. It hadn't been all that long ago that she was just a girl he barely knew, his brother's absent teammate.

He kissed her forehead, feeling a swell of affection for her and a staunch desire to be near her, not just now, but all the time.

"I miss you so much," she said.

"I miss you, too."

"You should come over tonight," she said. "To my apartment. I'll be tired, but I'm always tired. I just want to spend some time with you."

"Okay," he agreed. "I'll come over. I can make you dinner and we can watch another movie. Not a sad one."

She laughed. "Okay."

"Not a horror movie, either."

"Sure," she agreed.

He kissed her again, letting his lips linger against hers as he threaded his fingers into her wild, messy hair.

"What the hell?"

Itachi broke their kiss with a wince, too uncomfortable to turn to face the familiar voice in the doorway.

"Izumi!" Sakura exclaimed, leaping up from her desk. "I'm so sorry. I forgot all about your appointment."

"Itachi?" Izumi asked, waiting until he had turned to look at her before she continued speaking. "Is this why you didn't want to be with me? You told me there wasn't anyone else when we were at the teahouse. You lied to me."

"I never said that," he argued, because he specifically remembered that moment when he had the foresight to dodge that question from her instead of answering it directly.

"How long has this been going on?" Izumi asked, but instead of Itachi, it was Sakura she was directing that question to. "You knew I liked him and you've been with him behind my back this whole time. I was doing you a favor letting you do your research on my eyes. You betrayed me."

"No, Izumi, I didn't betray you," Sakura said. Itachi picked up on the panic in her voice. She couldn't lose Izumi now. She was critical to her research. "I didn't tell you because I thought it would upset you. I mean, how could I have brought that up without it sounding unnecessarily cruel?"

"How is this any less cruel?" Izumi demanded. "You're making out with him in your office during our scheduled appointment!"

"I forgot…"

"You can forget about your research," Izumi said. "I'm done here." She turned on her heel and stomped away, leaving Itachi and Sakura to stare at the now empty doorway.

"Itachi, you have to go after her."

"Pardon?"

"Please, you have to go after her and convince her to let me do my research," Sakura pleaded. "I need her."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know," she said, her voice wavering like she was about to cry.

"Sakura, are you crying?" he asked.

"No," she snapped. "I just really need you to do this for me. Please. Please."

He took in the sight of her then – the glassiness of her eyes, the way her lower lip wobbled. He couldn't help but feel like he was being manipulated just then. The last thing he wanted to do was go after Izumi. Things between them were already awkward enough.

But it was really, really hard to tell Sakura no. And he understood why she wanted this so badly. Her research was at stake.

"Fine," he said with a resigned sigh. He kissed her – chastely this time. "But just for the record, desperation is not a good look on you."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him. "Thank you."

He found Izumi outside the hospital, sobbing into her hands as she leaned against the concrete wall.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded when he settled against the wall beside her, crossing his arms because he was still very uncomfortable with this whole situation. "Shouldn't you be in there with your girlfriend?"

"I understand why you're upset, Izumi," he said, trying to relax his posture as best he could. "I would be too, if I were you."

"Just go away."

"I know you care about me."

She dragged her face away from her hands only long enough to give him an incredulous look before she resumed sobbing.

"I know you want me to be happy, because that's what I want for you too," he continued, even though his gut was telling him to just leave her alone and let her cry. "We're friends, remember?"

"It's really hard to be your friend right now, Itachi," she said.

"I know. I get it."

"Obviously you don't, or you wouldn't be here right now."

"Please, Izumi, don't take out your frustration on Sakura," he begged. "She didn't do anything wrong. She wants to help our clan. She wants to help you awaken your Mangekyou."

"So you followed me just to plead your girlfriend's case?"

"It's not about that," he said, fully aware that he was lying this time. It wasn't a good feeling. "This research she's doing could prevent so much heartache and trauma. I know you weren't looking forward to awakening your Mangekyou. I'm not either. And that's not what I want for Sasuke or any other Uchiha. We need you to do this. We need your help."

"You really believe she can do that?" Izumi asked. Her tone was bitter, but there was an underlying eagerness that encouraged Itachi to continue.

"I do," he said. "I have to because I'd do anything to prevent you or Sasuke or anyone else from having to endure that suffering."

"Lucky for you, all that entails is cozying up to the medic in charge."

And this awkward conversation, Itachi thought.

"Do you love her?"

Itachi hadn't considered before whether or not he loved her. It hadn't seemed important. Just being near her was enough. Love would logically follow, right? But he wasn't so sure about that. He hadn't even been sure of his romantic feelings for her until he confronted her about them. Perhaps he should confront her about this, too.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "How do you know if you love someone?"

"I thought I loved you, so I'm the last person you should be asking that question," Izumi answered. Her sobs had subsided a bit, though her eyes were still glassy and the tracks of her tears still shone brightly against her pale cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Izumi," he said earnestly. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know you didn't."

"We can still be friends, can't we?"

"I think that's going to take some time," she said. "It really sucks being around you, you know."

"I'm sorry."

She pushed herself off the wall with her foot and used the palm of her hand to dry her cheeks. "You can tell Sakura that I'll let her do her research on me," she said. Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. "But, Itachi, it's too hard to see you like that with her, so please don't let that happen again. In fact, I really think we should avoid each other for a while. Just until I can grapple with how much this really, really sucks."

"Okay," he said softly, blown away by her grace. Her understood logically why she would make the decision she just had, but it must have been difficult to do. How would he have felt seeing Sakura with another man like that? Even just thinking about it sent a sharp pang of sheer terror through his heart.

He did not like that feeling.

And he could only figure that Izumi didn't either. Yet here she was, still willing to work with Sakura in spite of how much it hurt. Because he had asked her to.

"Thank you, Izumi."

She only gave him a dry look before she leapt up onto a nearby rooftop and sped off toward the Uchiha compound.

Later that night, after he had informed his mother that he would not be joining the rest of the family for dinner, Itachi made his way to Sakura's apartment. In his arms he carried a sack of groceries, because he knew Sakura well enough to know that she had likely forgone grocery shopping since their last trip to the market.

He knocked on her door, eager to tell her the good news about Izumi. He could sense her presence inside, her chakra signature weak but steady. But after a minute or two of waiting, Itachi grew restless and opened the door himself only to find the lights off.

He nudged the light switch with his elbow, casting a dim glow around the room. Sakura, who had fallen asleep on her couch, groaned and rubbed groggily at her eyes before sitting up.

"You can't take naps without me," he said with just a touch of humor, shifting the grocery sack to his other arm.

Sakura rose to greet him with a kiss on his cheek, taking the groceries from his arm. "Sorry, Itachi," she said. "I just needed a quick power nap."

"What you need is a vacation," he insisted. "Did you ask Tsunade-sama about it?"

He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she put the groceries away. "Not yet," she answered. "I'm going to ask her tomorrow."

Itachi sat down at her table and propped his arms up by his elbows. Resting his chin on his fist, he watched her with amusement as she flitted around her kitchen, putting things away. He noticed the box of papaya on the counter, which she occasionally reached into for a piece to nibble on.

"You didn't have to get these groceries, you know."

"I know," he said. "But I wanted to make you dinner and I didn't know what you had on hand. Remember last time you had nothing."

She whipped around to glare at him, but she was smiling so it lost some of its impact. "I'm not hungry," she said. "This really good looking guy came by my office today and left me a box of dried papaya."

"That was nice of him. You should send him a thank you card."

Sakura grinned as she put away the last of the groceries and took a seat across from Itachi at the table.

"So you're not hungry," he mused. "And you just took a nap. So what is it that you need right now, Sakura?"

"Well," she said, drawing out the syllable as she drew idle circles on the table with the tip of her finger. "There is one thing."

"What is it?" he asked, both amused and deeply curious.

"Sex."

"Sex?"

She nodded. "Well, not sex, exactly. An orgasm, I guess."

"An orgasm…" he repeated, both nervous and excited at this fascinating turn of events. Did Sakura invite him here with this in mind?

"If you don't want to, that's okay," she said. "I don't want to pressure you. I can always just do it myself after you leave."

"Do it yourself?" he asked in shock.

"Yeah," she answered, no trace of embarrassment on her features or in her tone. In fact, she looked rather amused by Itachi's shock. "It's good for you. Relieves stress. Feels good."

"At the fundraiser," Itachi began, not entirely sure that this was an appropriate thing to bring up, "Ino told me she walked in on you."

"What the fuck? She told you that?" she asked with a scowl.

"She started to, anyway," Itachi offered. "I wasn't all that comfortable speaking about something like that with her."

"I wasn't all that comfortable with her seeing me like that."

"What about me?"

"I don't think I'd be all that comfortable with her seeing you like that either."

"That's not what I meant."

She drummed her fingers against the table, the amusement back on her face in spite of her irritation with Ino. "So you want to watch me?" she asked. "Is that what you're asking?"

"I'd definitely like to participate," he said. "But I'm not opposed to seeing a show first."

"I'm not your personal performer."

"Of course not," he said. "You have to audition first."

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"How do I audition?"

"Sakura."

"Yes, Itachi-kun?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, not necessarily out of irritation, but a flustered confusion. If sex was what she wanted, he had no problem giving her that. They had agreed to take things slow, but this wasn't necessarily fast. He wanted to, and she wanted to, so why should they abstain?

"Come here."

He expected some kind of sass back. Sakura wasn't the type to take orders from men, and Itachi wasn't the type to order women around. Naturally, he steeled himself for her teasing.

So Itachi was quite surprised when she stood up and rounded the table to stand before him without so much as a flirtatious glance. No jokes, no tossed back seduction technique. Just Sakura standing in front of him expectantly.

It was undeniably hot, Itachi thought. Some more primal part of him was completely entranced by this random submission on her part. So while he would ordinarily be a total gentleman, something was stirring inside his gut that he rarely experienced. He didn't want to be so gentle.

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her hard down into his lap. She scrambled to find her balance while he threaded his fingers tightly into her hair and kissed her with bruising force. He felt her screech into his mouth – even as she melted into him a little bit, before she shoved herself away from him.

"What the fuck was that?"

"I—"

"Have you been reading Jiraiya's books?"

"What? No—"

He was cut off by her kiss as she scrambled back into his lap. Itachi hadn't been expecting this, of course, so for a moment he sat perfectly still, stunned. She moved her lips across his jaw down to his neck, planting kisses as her hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt.

"Take me to my bedroom."

"What?"

She bucked her hips against him, her fingers curling tighter into his shirt. "Take me to my bedroom," she repeated.

Like a tidal wave, Itachi felt an unnerving, yet somehow pleasant mixture of anticipation, arousal, and total lack of control. This was not why he had come over. This was not something he had mentally prepared himself for. In fact, had he known that Sakura would ask this of him, he probably would have read some of Jiraiya's books in preparation. After all, Itachi had no clue what he was doing and he couldn't bear the thought of disappointing Sakura.

In the spirit of not disappointing her, he lifted her up, hoisting her so that she could wrap her legs around his waist as he stood up. Far be it from him to deny her what she wanted. He carried her to her bedroom, enjoying the soft kisses she planted against his neck, and then dumped her without ceremony onto her bed.

She let out all her breath in a huff, her eyes heavy lidded and sultry as she gazed up at him. She had never looked at him like that before, and even though it was an expression he had seen before (on the women from the brothel) seeing it on Sakura was like seeing it for the first time. He felt his blood rush south as he watched her slight panting.

"What now, Sakura?" he asked, seeking her guidance so he could give her exactly what it was that she wanted.

"Take off your clothes."

Without hesitation, Itachi grabbed the hem of his shirt to lift it over his head, but then a set of cool fingers on his stopped him.

"No, wait," she said. "Let me do it."

He dropped his hands to his sides, letting Sakura take the reigns. She ran her hands over his chest, slowly, deliberately, bunching up the fabric of his shirt and releasing it, teasing him with feather light touches immediately contrasted by the forceful way she fisted his shirt in her hands and yanked it over his head.

Itachi knew that she enjoyed seeing his body – a fact that was cemented by the way she stared at his naked torso, running the pads of her fingers over his abdomen, letting them dip into the creases between muscles, the hollow of his bellybutton, and all the way up to the curve of his collarbone.

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his sternum between his pectoral muscles. He shivered at the feeling, the intimate contact that was so different from the way he was used to being touched. When was the last time anyone had put their hands on his chest like this? Had anyone ever kissed him there before? It was a dizzying sensation made all the more powerful by the fact that it was Sakura doing it and that she seemed just as enraptured as he was.

She pressed her kisses lower, trailing them down his stomach, his abs, the jut of his hipbone. When she reached the waistband of his pants, she stopped, hooking her fingers into the fabric and holding them there. She looked up at him with impossibly big eyes. He had never seen her from this angle, but something about the way she was kneeling on the bed in front of him with her head so low was sexier than anything he'd seen her do yet.

"You're really good looking, you know," she said with a smile that was far too sexy.

Itachi let out a short laugh, amused that the most beautiful person he had ever seen before would think that about him.

She then yanked down his pants, sending them and his underwear down to his ankles and springing Little Itachi free. He gasped when he felt the cool air on his member. While he had been aroused before, this new freedom, new exposure left him feeling shy, yet incredibly turned on. He could feel himself growing harder now that he was completely naked and Sakura's face was still insanely close to his groin.

Tentatively, she reached forward and rested her palm on his thigh before sliding it around to his backside and giving it a squeeze. She seemed amused and calm even though he could see the way her pulse was racing in her neck and a pleasant blush had spread not just across her cheeks, but her chest as well.

"Take your shirt off," he instructed, his voice hoarser than he intended.

Obediently, Sakura pulled her loose tank top over her head, leaving her in nothing but her spandex shorts. He let his eyes linger on her supple breasts for a moment, and the way they heaved. With a weak moan, she lifted her hand to cup her breast before she let go and reached out to grab hold of Itachi's member.

He hissed and let his eyes fall shut, completely lost to this entirely new sensation. It wasn't as though Itachi had never masturbated before. Who hadn't? It just wasn't something he made a habit of. He supposed he didn't derive as much pleasure from it as Sakura did.

But _this…_ This was far more pleasurable and exciting than anything he had done to himself.

Sakura's fingers curled around him and squeezed gently, hesitantly because he was sure she didn't know what she was doing either.

"Itachi?"

His eyes flew open and he looked down at her. She looked confused and a little embarrassed as she held his dick in her hand still, her face even closer now, close enough that he could feel her breath on his tip.

"I don't know how to do this," she said.

He reached down and curled his fingers around hers, giving himself a couple of pumps with her hand. He groaned and shut his eyes again, barely able to form the words she had asked for.

"You need to get it wet first," he said.

"Wet," she repeated, though it didn't sound like a question.

Itachi was well aware of what this implied, and though he would never demand this from her, just the thought of her mouth around him made him feel painfully hard. And Sakura didn't seem shy about it because without any further prompting, she took his head inside her mouth.

Itachi shuddered, his hands flying to the top of her head where he dug his fingers into her scalp and held on tightly.

Slowly, she took more and more of him in her mouth until he was completely sunk in her. She looked up at him like this, her eyes wide and attentive, gauging his reaction, his pleasure. The sight was nearly enough to undo him.

She swallowed, creating a new sensation, a new feeling that compounded on all the other stirrings in his chest and groin and made him feel like he was on fire. God, she was perfect. She was everything he needed and he needed more of her.

Sitting back on her heels, she released him with a wet pop.

"Like that?" she asked.

"Yeah," he groaned. "Yeah, just like that."

She giggled before taking him in her mouth again, this time using her tongue to lave over him. She teased him, pulling away from him again to press hot, open mouth kisses along his painful throbbing.

Feeling that if she continued for much longer she would finish him far too soon, Itachi grabbed hold of her chin and pulled her face up away from his groin and closer to his face. He stared at her face for a moment, capturing her amusement, the way her own saliva glistened around her lips. He could see the reflection of his face in her eyes well enough to notice that his Sharingan was activated – again without his meaning to.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered before he kissed her. He felt her smile against his kiss before she broke it and threw herself back onto the bed. She shimmied out of her shorts, tossing them onto the floor. He dropped his eyes to the only part of her anatomy he had yet to see.

And, well, he was confused and aroused by it. He was definitely going to need her help. Or a road map. Probably both.

He crawled onto the bed, hovering over her. She squirmed beneath him, grinning and touching him everywhere her hands could reach. She grasped the back of his neck and pulled his head down so she could kiss him.

"What do you want me to do to you?" he asked between kisses. "Show me."

She paused for a second, pulling away from him just slightly. "It's still your turn," she said, nearly pouting.

"No," he said firmly, positive that he couldn't handle any more of her ministrations. He trailed his hand down her chest, over her breasts, giving her nipple a gentle tug before gliding down her stomach and over her hipbone. He wasn't quite sure what he was getting himself into when he ventured lower, letting his fingers ghost across her crotch. He was surprised to find how incredibly wet she was.

She bucked into his hand immediately, a sharp cry tearing from her throat. Her facial expression was a mixture of pain and pleasure, which Itachi found a little disconcerting and he didn't know what he was supposed to do next.

Sakura didn't have the patience to let him figure it out on his own. She covered his hand with hers, pressing his fingers against her clit, rubbing small, tight circles into what he presumed was a very sensitive part of her anatomy. She moaned louder, thrusting her hips up into his hand rhythmically. Her eyes were screwed shut and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

"How does that feel?" he asked, aroused, amused, and so, so curious.

"So good," she moaned. He watched her writhe underneath him, fascinated by how pleasured she was, how just this simple touch, these simples circles seemed to be doing so much for her. She moved her hand away from his, letting him take control. She cupped her breasts and raked her hands through her hair before letting her hands wander back to his chest, his back, his face.

"More," she said.

She bucked into his hand again, this time hard enough that her body connected with his, completely flush. Heat was building up in Itachi's chest and he agreed with her. He needed more.

But he also didn't know what 'more' was to her.

Again, she saved him from having to figure that out by grabbing his hand again and isolating his pointer finger. She rubbed it along her opening (which Itachi was extremely grateful for, because otherwise he might not have been able to find it). He waited for a moment while she seemed to be steeling herself for penetration.

"Sakura, are you—"

She gently pushed his finger inside herself, making a soft mewling sound in the back of her throat. Itachi faltered a little bit, surprised by the velvety heat now pulsing around his finger. It was so tight and so wet – he could hardly fathom what it might feel like to put his dick inside her. Not when just this, just his finger felt so good. She pumped his finger in and out, thrusting her hips to match her own rhythm.

He watched, so enchanted that he forgot for a moment that this was real and that he should do something other than just ogle her.

So he added another finger, slipping the second one in with ease. She cried out and he froze.

"Does that hurt?" he asked.

"Yes. Keep going."

Confused, but not willing to defy a direct order, Itachi pumped his two fingers in and out of her, matching the pace she set with her hips. She panted and moaned, and his fingers inside her made a slick, sloppy sound – a cacophony of sounds that only served to make Itachi harder.

He pressed a kiss to her jaw, because in her state she would not have been able to return a kiss on the mouth, and sat back on his heels, still pumping his fingers inside her. He slowed his pace – in spite of her frantic thrusting – until he had stilled completely.

She sat up, looking rather annoyed to Itachi's amusement.

He smirked. "Were you enjoying that?"

Instead of answering, she pushed her own fingers inside her, resuming her previous pace. She shut her eyes again, sucking her lip back between her teeth.

"No, no, no," he laughed, pulling her hand away.

"This is supposed to de-stress me, remember?"

"It will," he assured her. "But it also has to be learning experience."

"As your romance sensei, I feel the need to point out that this is not very romantic," she said.

"Maybe it's not supposed to be."

With a frustrated sigh, she sat up, giving him a dirty look. "Fine," she said. "What should we be learning?"

"Let me get a look at this thing," he said, pushing her back down onto her back and spreading her legs apart.

"Itachi!" she squealed, clamping her legs back together.

Forcefully, he pulled her knees apart again and pulled her whole body down closer to himself. "Shh," he said. "Just hold still."

She relented, letting her body go limp. He let go of her legs and looked to her face to see if she really wanted him to continue. She looked embarrassed, but not angry, which made him feel a little guilty. But when he softly stroked the inside of her thigh with his thumb her expression softened.

He ventured closer, letting his eyes wander back to her clit and the pink folds of skin that surrounded it. Gently, he pulled her lips apart, marveling at how wet they were. It was a mystery to him – the complicated system he was dealing with here. He looked back to Sakura's face to see her reaction to his touches.

She seemed to enjoy it – her face flushed with pleasure, even as she watched him with scrutiny.

"Freshly shaved," he murmured, running his finger over the smoothness of her skin. "You were planning this, weren't you?"

"Should I have warned you?"

"Yes," he said. "But the surprise was nice too."

She bucked her hips up toward his face. Itachi reeled back in surprise and grabbed onto her hips, holding her down against the bed.

"So eager," he laughed. "Tell me what you want me to do."

"Kiss me."

Obediently, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh.

"Not there."

With a grin, he moved toward her center, pleased by how wet she was, how eager she seemed, and the delicious scent of her arousal, which was so, so close now. Tentatively, he kissed her clit. He heard her hiss and she tried to buck into him again, but he held her hips down against the bed.

Slowly, he kissed her again, this time with an open mouth. He continued to press kisses against her, listening to her contented, pleasured sighs. She didn't seem quite so worked up anymore, so he continued this for a few moments, kissing her everywhere, touching her legs, and looking up at her occasionally to gauge her level of pleasure.

"Itachi…" she breathed, moving her fingers to clutch his hair. She pushed his face down against herself, grinding herself against his mouth. Itachi blinked with surprise, because he hadn't imagined that this is what she would find pleasurable, that this was how to make her come. He felt weirdly powerful like this, with a woman as powerful and intelligent as she was reduced to pants and sighs as she worked herself up against his face.

Feeling more courageous, he lashed his tongue out to lap at the sensitive bundle of nerves she was so wantonly pressing against his lips. Her moans elevated an octave, so Itachi did it again, lapping his tongue against her, listening to her sounds, letting her guide his head with the trembling fingers still tangled in his hair.

"Okay, okay," she said with a groan. "That's enough. I want you inside me."

She pulled herself up higher on the bed, out of Itachi's reach.

"But I wasn't done yet," he whined.

"You're still not done."

She pushed his shoulder, rolling him over so he was on his back and dragging him until he was centered on the bed. Itachi let her do this, watching her with amusement.

"What do you want now?" he asked.

She swung her leg over his waist and straddled him, hovering her deliciously wet center over his crotch. She reached down between her legs and grabbed his dick, giving it a few pumps. Itachi groaned and let his head fall back against her pillow. Slowly, Sakura positioned herself and sank down onto his dick, hissing and screwing her eyes shut.

He hissed, too, digging his fingers into her thighs. Never had he experienced anything even remotely close to this feeling. Her velvety heat sucked him in, so wet and so tight that he couldn't help but buck his hips up into her even further.

Sakura's sharp cry stilled him, though, because unlike the rest of the beautiful sounds she had been making, this one sounded like she was in pain. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was frozen still, though he could feel her hands still trembling against his stomach where she was bracing herself.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just give me a second."

Itachi remained motionless, a little confused. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

She bit her lip and nodded, her eyes still screwed shut.

"We should stop then."

"We're not going to stop," she laughed. "I just need a moment to adjust."

"Adjust?"

Patiently, she opened her eyes, gazing down at him with a softness in her features that made her look almost angelic. Or maybe it was the fact that he was still buried inside her and could feel her pulsing heat around him.

"I've never had anything bigger than two of my fingers before," she explained. "And you're a lot bigger than two fingers."

"And it hurts?" he asked. "Is it supposed to hurt?"

"Pain is common," she nodded. "But it feels good, too." Her fingers curled into fists against his abdomen and she sank down just a little lower, letting out a ghost of a moan.

"Describe it to me," he commanded. "Tell me exactly what it feels like."

"Like I'm filled up," she said, her eyelids falling shut again as she raised her hips. "Like I'm being stretched out. You're so hard. I can feel everything. Your pulse. All of it. It feels so good."

She sank down onto him again with a shuddering sigh. He watched her as she started a slow rhythm, her hips rising and falling as she pleasured herself on him. Itachi wanted to screw his eyes shut again and let the feeling of her around him take him away, but he couldn't look away from her.

Itachi felt a tight coil in his stomach growing tighter and tighter as he watched Sakura ride him, listening to her sounds. It felt so good, so much better than anything he'd ever done to himself. He could feel the coil about to snap.

Unable to help it, he bucked up into her again – much rougher than he'd intended to. He didn't want to hurt her after all. He looked up at her face as he stilled himself again, searching for any sign of pain on her features.

But she sank back down onto him with equal roughness, groaning loudly and quickening her pace.

"Don't stop," she murmured.

Enjoying this bossy, sexual Sakura, he obeyed, thrusting his hips up into her again. She matched the rhythm he set, her moans climbing higher in pitch as she neared her climax. Itachi felt himself so close to coming undone as she gripped her hips tightly. She curled her fingers around his arms, bracing herself against him. If she didn't come soon, he would have to finish her with his mouth (an idea he was not opposed to in any way).

But a moment later he felt her shudder as she nearly screamed at the height of her orgasm. The walls around his cock pulsed and contracted against him, pulling his own orgasm from him. His thrusts became more frantic as he reached his end, pounding himself into her over and over, surprised by his lack of control, but not able to bring himself to care.

Sakura's chest heaved as she came down from her high. She slumped forward, crashing down against his chest. With a surge of affection for her, Itachi wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin.

"We should have done that a long time ago," she mumbled into his chest.

"Don't worry," he said, kissing the top of her head. "We can make up for lost time."

Feeling more stress-free and relaxed than he had ever felt before, Itachi let himself drift into sleep as he listened to Sakura's slow breathing.

Itachi woke up in Sakura's bed. He wasn't totally surprised to find it empty. When he looked to the window, he saw that it was already late morning. For once, Itachi had slept in.

He stretched, enjoying the warmth the sun spread over the bed from the window, the chink of light that made him feel more awake. Sakura's bed was far more comfortable than his, he decided. He should probably sleep here more often.

With a groan, he sat up and gathered his clothes. He dressed himself quickly and made his way downstairs. He probably shouldn't linger in Sakura's home without her there, but he decided it would be fine to grab a quick snack from her kitchen first.

And it seemed Sakura had thought the same thing. On the kitchen table was a note indicating that there was some breakfast left for him in the refrigerator and that Sakura had an early morning appointment with Tekka.

It was unclear to Itachi whether or not that meant he should wait for her to return. He didn't have anything pressing to do, but he should probably go home and shower, and there might have been a mission waiting for him. It had been some time since he had asked.

A knock on Sakura's front door interrupted his thoughts. He didn't want to make a habit of answering her door for her, but he could sense that it was Ino, so he flung the door open for her.

"Hey, Ino," he said. "Sakura isn't here right now. She's at the hospital."

"Yeah, I know," she answered. "She sent me here to come get you."

"What? Why?"

She gave him a critical, roving eye, sucking in his disheveled appearance and the new glow on his skin that could only have indicated he was no longer a virgin and that he had, indeed, spent the night ravaging her best friend.

Could she really see all that? Sakura seemed to think Ino knew everything there was to know about sex. Was there any truth in that?

"You should probably shower first," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I was planning on going home to do that," he answered.

"Well, you don't have time for that," she replied. "Hurry up and shower. I'll wait right here." She crossed into the living room, plopping herself down on Sakura's couch. Itachi stood still, watching as she fumbled with the television remote and flicked on a sitcom.

"Itachi! Go!"

With an annoyed sigh, Itachi made his way back to Sakura's room to take a shower. He had no clue what Sakura could have summoned him for, but he direly wished she had chosen a different messenger.

Quickly, Itachi showered himself, unfortunately resigned to using Sakura's bubblegum scented soap. Didn't she usually smell like eucalyptus? That was a scent he wouldn't mind. But bubblegum?

Once he was properly dress again (albeit in yesterday's clothes), he found Ino still surfing channels on the couch.

"Alright, take me to Sakura," he said.

She smiled at him in the most unnerving way.

Ino brought him to the hospital, steering him toward Sakura's office. "Stay here for a moment," she said, and then disappeared back out into the hallway.

Itachi didn't like being left in the dark, so with an irritated huff, he crossed into Sakura's office. He was surprised to find Izumi in there, alone.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

She had bandages over her eyes, but an unmistakable grin on her face. Itachi still felt a little uncomfortable being around her, but she seemed to be in a good mood.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Izumi only smiled even wider. A few seconds later, Itachi heard Sakura's laughter ringing down the hallway. She rounded the corner, chatting animatedly with someone. When she entered her office, she was holding Tekka's arm, leading him to her desk where she helped him take a seat.

"Oh, Itachi," Sakura said. "Ino found you. Good. I have some good news."

Itachi had an idea of where this was going.

"Okay, guys, go ahead and take off your bandages."

Izumi and Tekka both pulled their bandages off, unraveling them quickly and excitedly. Itachi watched with rapt attention as Izumi blinked her eyes open. But they weren't her eyes. They were Tekka's.

Izumi squealed with delight and Itachi watched in fascination as the tomoe in her eyes shifted, blending into a kaleidoscopic shape he knew to be the Mangekyou. He glanced quickly down at Tekka and noticed that his eyes, too, bore their own unique Mangekyou shape.

"You did it?" Itachi asked, his voice hardly above a whisper.

"I did it!" Sakura exclaimed. "Now I still will have to do some tests just to make sure everything is working properly. Tekka, Izumi, I'll still have to keep regular appointments with you for follow-up care. But everything appears to be looking good right now."

"Well?" Itachi asked Izumi. "How does it feel? Can you use it?"

"Sakura advised us not to use any specific jutsu until we talk to someone else who has already awakened their Mangekyou," she explained. "She suggested Shisui. We're hoping to get in a few sparring sessions so we can see what these eyes can really do."

Itachi looked to Sakura, who was beaming with pride at her newfound success.

"Have you told my father yet?" he asked.

"I wanted to tell you first," she explained. "And if everything goes well, I'd like to perform this surgery on you and Sasuke. With both of your permission, of course."

"I didn't think you'd get so far so quickly," he said. "I haven't spoken to Sasuke about this yet."

"That's okay," she replied. "It will take a couple of weeks of follow up care before I can say that the surgery was a complete success."

Tekka rose from his seat, scanning the room with his new eyes. He looked happier than Itachi was used to seeing him (though they weren't the best of friends, so that made perfect sense).

"I can't believe you've done it, Sakura-chan," he said, grabbing her head and pulling her down into a headlock. She laughed and wriggled her way free, while Itachi watched, a little put off by their friendly behavior.

"I can't either," Izumi chimed in. "I never thought you'd get these results to quickly. Thank you so much for everything you've done. I can't believe I was going to refuse your help!"

Sakura laughed again, giving Izumi and eye-crinkling smile. Itachi glanced warily between the two of them. It seemed their bad blood had been mostly forgotten.

"It's no trouble at all," Sakura said. "I was happy to do it. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Be easy on your eyes for now and if possible, please take notes when you're sparring. I'd like to see if there are any strange symptoms or effects caused by a transplant or a manual awakening."

Itachi pursed his lips, feeling a weird sense of isolation and confusion. He listened as the three of them continued to chatter away, but he found himself unable to pay attention to their words. Had she really done it? Had she found a way to prevent future suffering for his clan?

He took Tekka's seat, rubbing his eyes between his thumb and forefinger. How had she managed to accomplish this so quickly? It seemed like she should have had a fair bit more research to complete before she should even have been thinking about performing the actual surgery.

But, then again, Itachi had no idea how long she had been working on this little project. She had always been looking at Kakashi's eye, hadn't she? And likely Sasuke's as well. Had Sasuke really trusted her with that? Perhaps Kakashi had encouraged him to let her help.

It just seemed like too much, too fast. He had only just begun to feel comfortable letting her work on his eyes. And now she was nearly ready to transplant his and Sasuke's?

"What's this?"

Itachi turned at the sound of the familiar voice and saw his father standing in the doorway of Sakura's office with Ino behind him.

"Uchiha-sama," Sakura greeted. "I thought you might like to see some of my handiwork, fresh from the operating table."

Fugaku took a step into the room, his eyes fixed on Sakura. She must have found that attention unnerving, but she didn't show it. He dragged his eyes over to Izumi, who did look a little bit nervous. Fugaku took Izumi's chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her face up toward his.

"Mangekyou," he said tightly. "So the surgery was a success?"

"Yes, Uchiha-sama," Sakura said. "I began surgery early this morning. It lasted approximately three hours. Both Tekka and Izumi remained stable the entire time. They were both temporarily blind when woken up, but recovered sight within ten minutes of their eyes opening. From there, I activated the section of their brains responsible for awakening Mangekyou manually with my chakra. Both Izumi and Tekka experienced mild pain in their eyes during this process, but it passed quickly. I have a few tests left to run to make sure everything is working properly, but by everything I've seen so far, it seems to have gone as well as it could have."

Fugaku released Izumi's chin and turned to Tekka, who looked a little less nervous, but still a little apprehensive. Itachi couldn't blame them – Fugaku could be terrifying when he tried to be.

"Do you know your Mangekyou's powers?" Fugaku asked him.

Tekka shook his head. "Not yet, Uchiha-sama," he answered. "Sakura suggested that Izumi and I train for a while with others who have awakened their Mangekyou to make sure they work properly. I'm sure our powers will be uncovered during that training."

"I see," Fugaku said. He turned then to Itachi. "Sakura, when will you be finished with all of the post-surgery tests?"

"I'd say it will take no longer than a couple of weeks."

"Good," he replied. Itachi felt immense relief just hearing that one simple word. "Tekka, Izumi. You will both train with me until your powers are made clear. I want to see the product of Sakura's work for myself."

"Yes, Uchiha-sama," Tekka and Izumi said in tandem.

"If after one week there are no further complications, I will consider allowing you to perform this surgery on my sons, Sakura," Fugaku said. "If that is what they want."

Fugaku slid his gaze over to Itachi, perhaps gauging his reaction to this news. But Itachi couldn't take his eyes off Sakura. Not only had she successfully performed a surgery that he only dreamed was possible, but she had won over his father in the process – an impressive feat in and of itself. She smirked at him, sending a flurry of butterflies up in his stomach – even after the intimacy they had shared she still managed to make him feel nervous and unsettled.

But also extremely high. He grinned back at her. He had always had his doubts about her – a point which even she conceded was in his best interest. But he was beginning to trust her, and so was his family. Maybe he didn't need to keep her a secret anymore.

"I want to tell my parents about our relationship."

Sakura rolled over on her bed to face him, giving him a surprised look. It had been three days since she had successfully transplanted Tekka and Izumi's eyes, four days since they had sex for the first time, and five minutes since the second time.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Moonlight shone through her window, casting bright, silvery light over her features. Her bed sheet was pulled up over her breasts, but the delicate curve of her collarbone was exposed, and Itachi let his eyes linger on the shadows there for a moment before he caught her eye again and nodded.

"Really," he answered. "I don't see a reason to hide it anymore. My father seems to approve of your work – especially now that's he's seen it in action."

It was true that Fugaku experienced firsthand the success of Sakura's transplants. He had, after all, been training Izumi and Tekka to use their newfound powers. Itachi even thought that Fugaku seemed to be in a better mood as of late, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was due to Sakura's work. It would make life easier for the Uchiha clan.

"Besides, I think we're pretty serious now," he continued. "Even if he didn't approve of you, I do. And my opinion matters most."

"Oh, we're serious now?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I was sure this was just a casual fling. I guess I should go tell all my side flings that we have to stop seeing each other."

"Yeah, you go do that. I'll wait right here."

She giggled and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. "When do you want to tell them?"

"At the end of the week," he suggested. "Once the dust has settled around this whole transplant thing."

"Yeah," she said, curling her body toward him and resting her head on his chest. "That's a good idea. But we should probably tell Tsunade-sama first. She already sort of knows, but we should tell her it's official."

Itachi murmured his agreement and kissed the top of her head.

"Have you talked to Sasuke yet?"

Itachi flinched. He had been meaning to speak to Sasuke about the possibility of transplanting their eyes. He already knew that Sasuke wasn't opposed to the idea, so it shouldn't have been such a nerve-wracking conversation to have. But for some reason, Itachi felt uneasy talking to Sasuke about it.

"Are you worried?" she asked him, tilting her chin so she could look up at his face. "If you're worried about complications with the transplant, I assure you I can handle it—"

"I know you can. It's not that."

He smoothed his hand over her hair, clutching her to his chest. Truthfully, he couldn't explain why the thought of transplanting his eyes into Sasuke unsettled him so much. He didn't want her to think it had anything to do with her, but he wasn't so sure of that himself.

"What is it then?"

"Do you think it will be weird to look at my face and see Sasuke's eyes there instead of mine?" he asked.

"To be honest," she said, rolling back onto her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows. "I doubt I'll be able to tell a difference. Your eyes are very similar, you know."

Itachi pursed his lips in annoyance because he wanted her to think his eyes were special, that she'd know them from a mile away. It was ridiculous, but it was also romantic, and she had been the one to teach him about that stuff, so she should have understood.

She only seemed amused by his pouting, though.

"You'll still have longer lashes than Sasuke," she said, reaching up and running the pad of her thumb over his eyebrow. "And your eyes are more almond shaped than his. That won't change. And you've got these adorable little crow's feet here," she said, touching the corner of his eye with a gentle fingertip. "And these bags here that make you look rugged and handsome."

"I don't have eye bags."

"Yes, you do, Itachi-kun," she retorted. "Sexy ones, at that."

He caught he wrist and pulled it away from his face.

"Is that what you're worried about?" she asked. "You think I want to look into Sasuke's eyes instead of yours?"

He turned his head away from her, irritated by her perception.

"Well, you're right," she laughed. "I orchestrated this entire thing – getting you to fall in love with me, researching the Sharingan, transplanting Tekka and Izumi's eyes – all so I could stare longingly into Sasuke's eyes in your head."

"I'm not in love with you."

"Yes, you are, Itachi-kun."

When he still didn't turn to face her, she sat up and straddled his waist, grabbing his wrists and holding them at his sides. He could easily have broken free from her grasp, but she was still naked, and in spite of his annoyance, he couldn't help but enjoy that.

"Alright, enough joking around," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Cherry. I'll talk to Sasuke today."

She didn't seemed satisfied with his answer, but she kissed his forehead and sank back down into the sheets anyway.

"I'm surprised this is the first you've mentioned this to me," Sasuke said. "I figured Sakura had you wrapped so tightly around her finger that you would have asked me a long time ago."

Itachi glared at his brother, watching his profile from the side. They were sitting side by side on the roof again, watching the clouds roll by. Itachi found a sort of comfort in this spot now. It was calming to sit here with his brother. It had been calming to sit here with Sakura, too.

"I'm not wrapped around her finger."

"So you want to switch eyes of your own volition?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi sighed and reclined back against the shingles. "If I'm being honest, I'm a little nervous about it," he admitted. "My eyes are my best weapon. I have to trust that Sakura can seamlessly cut them out of my head and put them into yours."

He didn't feel the need to mention the fact that it would be weird to look at his brother's face and see his own eyes there. Or to look in the mirror and see Sasuke's. Maybe Sakura was right. Maybe he wouldn't even notice.

"But I think this is what's best for the both of us," Itachi continued. "Izumi and Tekka seem to be doing well. Sakura's success saved them from a lot of pain. I want that for us, too."

Sasuke grunted his agreement. "Sakura told me that because we're brothers, the transplant would result in Eternal Mangekyou for both of us," he said. "There would be no way for both of us to get that if not for this surgery. That's why I think we should do it."

Itachi blinked, a little surprised by the mention of the Eternal Mangekyou. Sakura had mentioned it to him before, but he hadn't been focused on that part of the conversation. Sasuke was right – they couldn't both have Eternal Mangekyou any other way. Another cruel facet of life as an Uchiha – it demanded they turn on one another.

"Yes, I agree," Itachi said. "I think this surgery is the best thing for us, even if it is a little daunting."

"I have faith in Sakura," Sasuke said.

"So do I."

Sasuke smiled – a genuine smile instead of his usual smirk, and leaned back against the shingles next to Itachi. They watched the clouds roll by in silence, enjoying the gentle breeze, the warmth of the sun.

A moment later, a familiar chakra signature approached.

"Itachi! Sasuke!"

The two brothers leaned forward, peering over the edge of the roof. Sakura stood below, waving at them and smiling brightly. Sasuke hopped down to the ground, followed closely by Itachi.

"Hay, Sakura," Sasuke said. "You'll be glad to know Itachi and I have talked it over and decided to go ahead with the transplant."

"That is good news," she said, still grinning from ear to ear. "And I have some good news of my own. Itachi, I spoke to Tsunade-sama and told her about us. And I also asked her about taking a vacation."

"And?"

"And, she said that after Tekka and Izumi have been okayed by her, I can take an entire week off," she answered. "Ino and Shizune are going to help cover my absence at the hospital."

"Good," he replied, genuinely happy to hear her good news. He might have kissed her had Sasuke not been standing there. "Where should we go?"

"We?" Sasuke asked.

"Me and Itachi," Sakura clarified.

"Yeah, I gathered," Sasuke said dryly. "You guys are taking a vacation together?"

"It would appear so," Itachi said, unable to keep the grin from spreading on his face. He couldn't describe the sudden elation of his mood, the pleasantness he felt from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Everything seemed to be falling into place so perfectly.

"Yeah, I was thinking we could go to the beach," Sakura suggested. "That's what you wanted, isn't it, Itachi?"

"I thought you hated sand," he said, bemused. "You don't want to go to the mountains?"

"A little birdy told me you hate snow," she said.

"That's true," Sasuke supplied. "He does hate snow."

"Who told you that?" Itachi demanded.

"Tekka."

Itachi scowled because he didn't like the idea of Sakura and Tekka talking about him – and certainly not about something he had hidden from her intentionally so she would be able to go on the vacation she wanted.

"We're not going to the beach," he said. "We have to go somewhere you actually want to go."

"Okay, okay," she said, holding up her hands defensively. "I was just trying to let you have what you wanted."

Itachi resisted the urge to sigh. He wanted to kiss her and tell her they could go wherever she wanted because he didn't care – he only wanted to be near her. But Sasuke was there, and he had specifically asked him not to do stuff like that around him, so he settled for tapping his toe instead, to expel a bit of that frustrated energy.

"You guys should go to the Land of Tea," Sasuke suggested. "It would suit both of you, wouldn't it? Remember last time we were there, Sakura? That escort mission?"

Sakura's smile widened. "I do remember," she said with nostalgic wistfulness. "That place is really beautiful. So many cute teahouses and adorable little villages. What do you think, Itachi?"

"Sure," he answered, because he truly didn't care and it seemed that Sakura was into the idea. "Whatever you want."

She shoved him pretty roughly, giving him a stern scowl. "I'm asking what you want," she said, "you dolt."

"I want to go to the mountains."

She glared at him.

"If you guys are going to fight, I'm out of here," Sasuke said. With an annoyed glance between the two of them, he headed inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

"The Land of Tea sounds nice," he said after Sasuke was completely gone. He gave her an amused smirk, watching her expression shift. She reached forward and flicked his forehead.

"Stop messing with me."

He laughed and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her close. "I'm not messing with you," he said. "Hell, I'd go to Rain if that's where you wanted to go."

"Now there's an idea," she said, brushing his hair away from his face. "Rain is romantic, remember? We could get nice and cozy in a high rise. I bet the view would be amazing."

"I was kidding."

"I know," she laughed. "Let's go to the Land of Tea."

"Okay," he murmured, leaning in to press a tender kiss to her forehead.

And excited gasp from behind him made him loosen his grip on Sakura, turning to face the offending sound. Mikoto stood in the open doorway, watching her son with one of the most elated expressions Itachi had ever seen on her.

"Are you two…?"

The cat was out of the bag now, but Itachi couldn't bring himself to feel bothered by it. He was happy. Sakura was happy. And now his mother seemed happy, too.

"Yes, Mikoto-san," Sakura said with a good-natured grin. "We're together."

With a delighted giggle, Mikoto pulled Itachi away from Sakura and wrapped her in her arms. Sakura caught Itachi's eye as Mikoto squeezed her. Itachi couldn't help the wide grin on his face seeing the two most important women in his life wrapped in each other's embrace.

"Oh, Sakura," Mikoto said, releasing her from the embrace and grabbing her face between her two, pale hands. "I'm so happy for you two. How long has this been going on? Are you planning on getting married? When do you think you'll start having children?"

Sakura blanched, much to Itachi's amusement.

"Mother, give her some space," Itachi said, dragging his mother away from Sakura. "You're going to scare her away."

"Your father will be so pleased to hear this!" Mikoto exclaimed, giving no heed to Itachi's words.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked, more than a little confused. He had figured Fugaku would be the last person to approve such a match between the heir and a non-Uchiha – especially a civilian born at that.

"Oh, it's just that he was worried about Sakura having so much knowledge about the Sharingan and being such an integral person in this new Mangekyou thing since she's an outsider and so close to the Hokage," she answered. "But how could he complain if she's the next Uchiha matriarch? She'll be part of the family!"

Sakura's face paled even more. They had never discussed the possibility of marriage or children. They had only recently decided their relationship was serious. But it still amused Itachi to see her so out of sorts about it. Her being flustered was adorable to him.

"That's a long way off, Mother," Itachi said, though he was pleased by what his mother had said. It was true that if he married Sakura and she became the matriarch, there was no reason her knowledge of the Uchiha would be a cause for concern for anyone. In fact, Sakura would be a good addition to the Uchiha, Itachi thought. With her medical skills and her knowledge of their kekkei genkai, she would be quite useful.

And it prompted an idyllic image of Sakura in his head – a swollen belly as she set the table. The tiny hands of his future children grabbing at her waist. Just the thought of her living in his home in the Uchiha compound as his wife… Well, it was exactly what was expected of him and everything he wanted all at the same time.

"Welcome to the family, Sakura!" Mikoto said, pulling the poor pinkette into another bone crushing hug.

Over his mother's shoulder, Itachi was glad to see Sakura give him a genuine smile before she returned his mother's hug.


	10. Chapter 10

Itachi woke up with a strange feeling in his head – a constriction that he didn't quite understand. His eyes were burning and for some reason, his sight was gone. In a panic, his sat up, clawing at the bandages around his eyes. He was blind. His eyes hurt. He couldn't remember where he was.

"Itachi, calm down. Don't touch that."

Instantly, he relaxed, dropping his hands back to his sides. Her voice was enough to calm him, to quell his apprehension. He was safe. He was in the hospital, under Sakura's care. He felt her hands on him, pushing him back down against the bed. He let her, sinking back into the mattress with a relieved sigh. She slid her hand down his arm and latched her fingers around his.

"You're okay," she murmured. "Your surgery was complicated, but everything is okay. Sasuke is okay, too."

"Complicated?" he croaked.

She hummed her acknowledgement. He felt her brush his bangs away from his face. "It took almost twice as long as Tekka and Izumi's surgery," she explained. "For a moment it seemed like you were rejecting Sasuke's eyes. But you didn't. And everything looks good and healthy."

"Can I take off the bandages?"

"Not yet," she answered. "In a few minutes. Try not to touch them until then."

She pressed a cup of water into his hands and then helped him bring it up to his lips to drink.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked as he drank. "Are you experiencing any kind of pain anywhere?"

"Just in my eyes," he answered. "They're burning."

"That's normal," she explained. "You'll experience it for a few minutes after you open your eyes, but it should fade fairly quickly."

"Sakura…"

"Yes, Itachi-kun?"

He had the urge to say something to her. Something profound, maybe, but he didn't know the message he was trying to convey. He wasn't even sure he had a message at all. He was proud of her. He was afraid of potential complications with his eyes. He wanted to rip the bandages off now and test them, see what new powers his Mangekyou afforded him.

But all he could do was sit there lamely, waiting.

"You were in quite a panic there."

He didn't know how to respond to that, so he settled for giving her hand a squeeze. She couldn't imagine the terror of waking up blind, forgetting the reason. His power, his strength was in that sight. It was only natural that he would panic.

"I'm glad you trust me," she continued. "I know you've been nervous about this surgery. But it's over now and you're okay. You can relax."

"Where is Sasuke?"

"Across the hall."

"Can I see him?"

"I don't know," she giggled. "Can you?"

Too unsettled to be in the mood for her jokes, he let out a chuffed sigh.

"Okay, okay," she said. "How about you drink the rest of that water and eat a little bit first. You were out for almost six hours. You must be hungry."

"I'm not hungry," he said because all he wanted was to see Sasuke.

"Well, you need to eat anyway," she said. "Doctor's orders." He heard her roll a cart from across the room over to his bed. She set a tray across his lap and guided his hand to the plate where there was nothing but a piece of dry toast. He grimaced.

"Eat the toast and then you can go see Sasuke."

A little amused by the role reversal, Itachi picked up the toast with disdain and began taking small bites.

"So are you excited about your new eyes?" she asked. He felt her sit down beside him, the mattress sinking down under her weight.

"I'll be excited when I can see," he said between bites.

"Alright, let's take off those bandages, then." He set down the toast, but she immediately put it back into his hands. "Finish that while I unwrap them."

Begrudgingly, Itachi took another bite of the toast as Sakura unraveled the bandages around his head. He quickly shoved the rest of it into his mouth, eager to test out his news eyes and see Sasuke.

When the bandages had been removed, he blinked his eyes open only to find darkness waiting for him.

"Sakura, I can't see," he said, a momentary hysteria creeping into his voice.

"It's okay, your sight will come back in a minute or two," she said.

He sat back against his pillow, his body rigid with apprehension. He definitely did not like this. He hoped the end result would be worth it, but he couldn't think of a time where he'd felt more vulnerable and helpless. He felt Sakura press a kiss to his forehead, brushing his matted hair away from his face.

"You poor thing," she cooed, though he sensed a little amusement in her tone and he didn't much care for it.

He blinked again, realizing that he could see a pinprick of light now. He blinked more rapidly, as if doing so might dispel his blindness. After a few seconds, his vision started to come into focus. He could see the greyness of the hospital room, the brightness of the florescent lights above. He blinked again, glancing toward the window to his left, the sunlight trickling in through the slatted blinds. He looked to his right where he could see the pinkness of Sakura's hair against the blurriness of everything else.

"Is your vision coming back?" she asked.

He reached forward and caught a strand of her hair between his fingers, using his other hand to pull her toward him by the back of her neck. "Yes," he said, inspecting the tendril of her hair as his vision became sharper. He could see the individual strands now, the different shades of pink that gave life to her mane. He glanced to her face, crystal clear now that his vision was rapidly coming back into focus. He could see her pores, the glow of her skin, the lines around her eyes that deepened when she smiled at him.

"Well?" she asked.

"I can see."

She laughed. "Yes, that was the goal," she said. "Would you like to see your brother now?"

He nodded, standing up carefully. His legs felt stiff from lack of use and he felt his back pop as his bones adjusted. Sakura took his arm and guided him across the hall into Sasuke's room.

"Sasuke?" she asked as she cracked the door open. "You have a visitor."

She pushed the door all the way open. Sasuke was standing near his window, gazing out at the village. When he turned to face his two new visitors there was a bright smile on his face. Itachi looked at his eyes, looking for whatever would indicate that they were different.

But much to his chagrin, he realized that Sakura was right. He couldn't tell that those were his own eyes in his little brother's head. They looked exactly the same to him.

"Itachi," Sasuke greeted. "I was worried about you."

"Worried?" Itachi asked, glancing over to Sakura, who was beaming at Sasuke.

"Oh, yes," Sakura said, shifting her focus to Itachi. "As I said before, there were complications with your surgery. Sasuke's went quite smoothly, but you caused a little more trouble on the operating table. Luckily, everything worked out fine – as I knew it would. But it's only natural that Sasuke would worry about you."

Itachi pressed his lips together. He wanted to ask about those complications, but he wasn't so sure that he wanted to know about them.

"Both of you should be able to activate your Sharingan now," she continued. "So you can go ahead and try if you'd like."

Itachi watched Sasuke's eyes bleed to red before he followed suit, activating his own Sharingan as well. It worked exactly as it should have. There wasn't any noticeable difference between his old eyes and his news ones in terms of how that Sharingan felt. Of course he would have to test it out with jutsus to know for sure, but he was satisfied with his vision for now.

"I imagine your father will want to help you unlock your Mangekyou powers, so I think it would be best for you to wait to activate that until he's around," Sakura suggested. Itachi remembered she had said the same thing to Izumi and Tekka as well.

Itachi glanced back to Sasuke, memorizing his face then. He was smiling so genuinely that it took Itachi by surprise. Sasuke smiled plenty, but it was never so unguarded. He looked so much like their father and so happy with his new eyes that Itachi cracked a smile of his own – the first since he'd woken up.

"I have to go," Sakura said after a few seconds of silence. "I have other patients to see. But you two are both free to go now. I'll check up on the both of you later. I recommend you both be easy on your eyes for now. Don't over exert yourself."

Itachi and Sasuke both nodded to her. She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss Itachi's cheek. "See you later," she said to him. "Bye, Sasuke."

With that, she took her leave. Itachi joined Sasuke by the window, gazing down at the gardens below. Maybe he was imagining it, but everything seemed to look a bit clearer now.

They stood in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company and the view of the world through their new eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Itachi glanced over at his brother. "I'm fine," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"You seems a little out of sorts," he answered. "I know you were nervous about the surgery."

"I was," Itachi agreed. "And I'm still a little nervous about the results. We don't know if it worked yet."

Sasuke scoffed. "It's bizarre to me that you have so little faith in Sakura," he said. "Maybe it's because I've come full circle with her. I doubted her and she proved herself. But you? You saw something in her that I couldn't. You praised her skills as a shinobi after you took that mission with her. So what changed?"

Itachi blinked, surprised by Sasuke's candor and his opinion about Sakura.

"She proved herself?" he asked.

"She was always dead weight," Sasuke explained. "She didn't care about getting stronger or being useful. She just followed me around like a puppy. But then I guess she realized I was never going to be interested in her and she gave up. It made it unbearable to have her on the team because instead of fawning over me, she was glaring at me instead. Still dead weight."

"So that's what happened," Itachi mumbled. Sakura had told him something similar.

"Yeah," Sasuke continued. "But then she started training under the Hokage. She got stronger and she learned medical ninjutsu. And after what you told me about her and your mission with her, I figured she'd changed. I asked her to come back to Team 7."

"You did?" Itachi asked with surprise. That didn't seem like something his little brother would do.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I?" he asked. "Of course it's handy to have a medic on the team. She's literally the best medic in the world."

"She is…" Itachi agreed, beginning to see Sasuke's point.

"She was pretty pissed when you crashed our sparring session," Sasuke said. "I was, too. I wanted to see what she could do."

Itachi laughed. "So did I."

A crow landed on the windowsill. Sasuke and Itachi watched it as it cocked its head to the side, peering through the window. It let out a sharp caw before it flew away.

"You know what would be fun?" Sasuke asked. "If I sparred with her while you watched."

Itachi gave him a rueful look. "That doesn't sound fun for me."

"Well, it's not going to happen the other way around," he insisted. "I'm not going to watch you spar with her. It'll get weird."

"You think I can't spar with her seriously?" Itachi asked.

"Please," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes. "You'd go too easy on her. Or it would get flirtatious."

"I could spar seriously with her," Itachi argued.

"But it wouldn't be the best way to really see what she's capable of," Sasuke pointed out. "She still feels like she has something to prove to me. And I wouldn't go easy on her."

"Okay," Itachi conceded. "That's not a bad idea."

Sasuke grinned.

Itachi could find no fault with Sakura's surgery. After several weeks of training with his father and his brother, he had become accustomed to his new eyes – his Mangekyou powers and how to use them.

He wasn't sure if Sakura realized how monumental this surgery was. He and Sasuke were the only living people to have Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. It was a huge deal and it gave them a massive advantage that the rest of the Uchiha clan didn't have. It also meant that she could give that power, those eyes to any two Uchiha siblings, which would only bolster the clan's power.

Fugaku seemed exceptionally pleased by this. He had even begun to affectionately refer to Sakura as 'Sakura-chan' whenever she was around, which made her blush and made Itachi feel pleasantly warm.

Itachi couldn't believe his good fortune. Not only was his clan stronger and more unified than ever, but he had his good luck charm – a cheeky little cherry blossom who adored him. Compared to most shinobi, Itachi hadn't had a difficult life. But he couldn't fathom how much better it was with Sakura in the picture. All his doubts about her had been for nothing, he thought. She was a treasure and he couldn't imagine his life without her in it now.

Because of her status as Itachi's girlfriend and her work with the Sharingan, she had been hanging around the Uchiha compound a lot more often. It pleased Itachi to see that she got along well with the other members of his clan and that they seemed to genuinely enjoy her presence. It was a good sign that really prompted Itachi to consider asking her to marry him.

He was only hesitant to do so because they had only been together for just under a year and he wondered if that was too soon. Sakura had always been the one to decide what stage of the relationship they were in and he didn't want to risk her rejecting a marriage proposal.

But to Itachi's surprise, it was Fugaku who brought the matter up to him. Nearly a month after his surgery, Itachi found himself out on the Uchiha training grounds, alone with his father.

They had sparred for several hours while Fugaku taught Itachi new jutsu, new tricks he could use with his Mangekyou. It never ceased to amaze Itachi just how powerful his eyes really were.

When they had finished, Itachi reached for his canteen and sank down to sit against the trunk of a large tree. Fugaku joined him on the ground – something he didn't usually do after a spar with either of his sons, so Itachi knew he was in for something unusual.

"Itachi," he said. "You're improving very quickly. Soon enough you'll have surpassed me in power. With the added benefit of having the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, you'll make a fine clan head when the times comes."

"Thank you," Itachi said, glad to hear such kind words from his father.

"You need to take a wife soon," he continued.

Itachi glanced over at his father to find a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Yes, I'm aware," Itachi said.

"Sakura-chan is a very bright girl," Fugaku said with less subtlety than Itachi was used to from his father. "She knows a lot about our kekkei genkai. She also has many good traits to pass on to future children."

"She's my girlfriend, father," Itachi said. "You don't have to convince me that she's a catch."

"You should marry her soon."

"I will discuss the idea of marriage with her," Itachi said.

Fugaku smiled. It was such a rare expression to see on his father's face that Itachi couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," Sasuke warned. Itachi was amused to see Sakura's lips quirk up in a sardonic smile.

"I don't expect you to," she replied, digging her heels into the ground. Both Sasuke and Sakura squared their shoulders, facing one another in their fighting stances. They were on the Uchiha grounds this time, and had pulled a substantial sized crowd from the compound.

It was no longer a secret that the Uchiha heir and the Hokage's apprentice were in a romantic relationship. Once rumors had begun to spread of Sasuke and Sakura's spar, everyone in the clan wanted to see what the pinkette was really made of. And who better for her to fight than the younger brother of her boyfriend, her teammate, one of only two members of the Uchiha clan with Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan? Even Mikoto and Fugaku were in the crowd, also eager to see their son and their potential daughter-in-law duke it out.

If either Sasuke or Sakura were nervous to have so many eyes on them as they sparred, they didn't show it. From his position closest to the training field, Itachi could see the set determination of Sakura's face, and the eager glee in Sasuke's.

"Should we set some ground rules?" Sasuke asked.

"Like?"

"I won't use Eternal Mangekyou if you promise not to use chakra enhanced strength on my face or groin," he suggested.

"You'll still use your regular Sharingan?"

Sasuke nodded.

"And I can use chakra enhanced strength anywhere else?"

He nodded again, only the twitch of his eye indicating his dwindling patience.

"Alright, let's do it."

Sasuke darted off into the trees, leaping up to a high branch. Itachi had sparred enough with Sasuke to know that his next move would be to launch a barrage of shuriken at her.

Sakura seemed to be prepared for this as well. She held her arms up to brace for the impact of the shuriken, but they never came. Instead, Sasuke leapt down from the tree branch above her, hovering directly over her to strike with a katana that Itachi hadn't even realized her had.

At the last second, Sakura dodged out of the way, just as the katana came down to the ground where she had just been standing. Sakura whirled around to face Sasuke, who looked smug as he slung the katana back over his shoulder.

"Where the hell did you get a katana?" she demanded.

"I had it sealed away," he said. "It's not the kind of weapon you're good at fighting against, is it?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at his arrogant words. At this point she was probably feeling grateful that she didn't have to deal with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan as well. Sasuke was right – this wasn't the kind of weapon she could defend herself very well against. She was a close range fighter, but she usually struck with her fists. Evading a blade would be difficult for her.

But that didn't seem to deter her. She summoned a healthy amount of chakra to her fists and moved to attack. She lunged at him with her fist ready. Sasuke held his katana poised in front of him as if to block her attack with it, but Itachi saw with his Sharingan that he was prepared to dodge instead.

Sakura threw a punch toward his chest, chakra alight in her fist. As predicted, Sasuke dodged to the left, but Sakura seemed to know he would do this and extended her leg to trip him as he moved. He expertly leapt over her leg, but Itachi could see that he was a little caught off guard by her action.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but there was a wry smirk on his face. He was already enjoying this. He reached into his side pouch and launched a barrage of shuriken at her. Sakura deftly dodged to the right, moving closer to Sasuke and punching the ground at his feet with what would have been lethal force if she had hit him instead. Sasuke jumped back away from the wreckage, wiping his eyes where the dust had caused them to tear up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity she had created, Sakura launched herself toward him, using the dust and debris as cover to engage him in some heated taijutsu. Itachi glanced over at the crowd to his left and saw each of them with their Sharingan activated as they watched the spar. With all the dust Sakura had kicked up, they wouldn't be able to see without it.

Sakura continued to throw punches and kicks toward Sasuke, who chose to avoid them by dodging instead of catching them as he might have if it had been anyone else. He didn't want to risk any broken bones, of course.

With his katana, he blocked a few of her punches, but the chakra barrier around her fists seemed to protect her from the sharpness of the blade.

After several minutes of this, getting nowhere, Sakura leapt off toward the tree line, deciding to change her tactic before she wore herself out throwing useless punches.

Itachi let his eyes fall back to Sasuke, who had promised not to go easy on her, but had not yet landed a hit on her. Sasuke was watching her up in the trees – she must have known he could always see her with his Sharingan activated.

The snapping of twigs near him made Itachi turn his eyes back to Sakura. She was running along the length of the trees now, tossing punches at their bases as she passed. The trees began to crash to the ground in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke leapt up into the air to avoid being crushing by any of the falling trees, but because of their height, he was forced to fall back even further, closer to the crowd behind him.

"Come on out, Sakura-chan," he teased. "Just try to hit me with those fists of yours."

A cloud of senbon was launched in his direction, but he used his katana to deflect them. He peered down at the collection of senbon now on the ground at his feet. Even from this distance Itachi could see that they contained some type of poison.

"You think you could hit me with a senbon?" he taunted, kicking the slew of silvery pricks across the ground. Sasuke scanned the trees, looking for her amongst the thick leaves and shrubbery, but he had lost sight of her.

Itachi knew that she had made her way underneath the ground. He had seen her give him a sly wink before she delved into the earth, preparing to strike from underneath, so he kept his eyes on Sasuke, waiting for her to catch him by surprise.

As Itachi predicted, she launched herself up from the earth directly underneath Sasuke, landing a brutal punch squarely on his back and hurling him high up into the air. Sasuke flipped his body over, swinging his katana back toward her as he hurtled back down toward the ground. Sakura blocked the katana with her forearm. Itachi winced as the blade made contact, but he could tell that she had used chakra to buffer the impact. With more of the chakra concentrated in her open palm, she reached forward and grabbed the blade of the katana and squeezed, shattering it into several pieces that clattered noisily to the ground.

Sasuke glared at her. "I expect you to put that back together for me when this is over," he chided.

"Only if I lose," she said with a wide grin.

Sasuke only smirked in response. Sakura lunged forward again, aiming another punch for his chest now. Sasuke caught her fist, which Itachi thought was a foolish, foolish mistake, but she didn't break his hand with her strength. She only twisted the arm he held around to her back, tossing Sasuke over her shoulder.

Sasuke rolled across the ground before jumping back up behind her and aiming a punch of his own toward the back of her head. Sakura ducked down to avoid the blow and swept her leg back behind her to knock him off his feet. Sasuke jumped over her leg and then grabbed her hair, pulling her back against his chest and bringing a kunai to the column of her throat.

Sakura locked her fingers around his forearm and used her strength to push his arm, and subsequently, his whole body back over her shoulder and onto the ground. Sasuke was able to knick her with his kunai before he was tossed onto the ground, so a trickled of blood ran down from the pale column of her throat into the collar of her vest.

She ignored it as she descended on him, straddling his hips and rearing back to punch him again. Agilely, he curled his body up toward her and bent over to the right. Her fist landed on the ground where his chest had just been. Sasuke grabbed onto her arm with one hand and grabbed the back of her head with the other. Roughly, he shoved her face toward the ground, pressing his knee into her back.

With one hand crushed beneath her body, and the other flailing wildly behind her back as she struggled to get her bearings, Sakura was unable to right herself by using her strength. Instead, she wriggled beneath Sasuke, squirming fruitlessly as she tried to escape his hold.

With smug satisfaction, Sasuke pulled another kunai from his pouch and held it up against her throat again. This time, she was unable to get away from him. Accepting her defeat, Sakura let her body go limp, her cheek pressed down into the dirt.

"I win," Sasuke said to her quietly.

An eruption of applause sounded from the crowd. Itachi glanced over to see his clan cheering on their victor. Sasuke eased himself up off the ground, extending his hand for Sakura.

"Looks like you'll be fixing my katana," he said as she dusted herself off. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment, which Itachi found insanely charming. He hadn't thought she did too poorly. She handled herself quite well against Sasuke, who seemed to also have something to prove to her, even if he didn't realize that.

"You know, with a little practice, I think you could beat him," Itachi said as he approached them, grinning.

"I was hoping to beat him this time," Sakura said.

Sasuke laughed. "Maybe next time," he said. "Hopefully you'll have my katana fixed by then."

She glared at him.

"Itachi, you promised we would go on vacation soon."

Itachi glanced up from his plate over at Sakura who sat across from him, picking at her food. They were sitting in the teahouse near the Uchiha compound – a favorite for them now that they had been together long enough to go on regular dates. The staff always prepared fresh dango for Itachi when they saw him come in, so even though Sakura didn't care as much for the food there, they found themselves there often, sitting in their regular booth by the window.

"We can leave whenever you want, Sakura," he said after he swallowed his mouthful of food. "I didn't know you were waiting on me to say the word."

"You said you wanted to wait until you were more comfortable using your Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan," she said.

"Right," he said. "Well, I'm accustomed to it now. So whenever you want to leave is fine with me."

She narrowed her eyes at him, watching as he took another bite of his food.

"Something wrong?" he asked, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Umm, yeah," she said. "I've been waiting on you this whole time to tell me you're ready to go. Do you know how long I've been looking forward to his vacation?"

Itachi chuckled. "Let's leave tonight then," he said. "As soon as you can get packed."

She rolled her eyes at him. "No, I won't be able to pack that fast," she said. "We can leave tomorrow morning."

"Of course, Cherry," he said agreeably. "Anything you want."

"Don't be so agreeable," she said, crossing her arms.

"You want me to be less agreeable?"

"Yes."

"Fine," he said, giving her an eye-crinkling grin. "Let's leave tonight."

"Itachi, I just said we can't leave tonight because I haven't packed yet," she said, more agitated than she usually was.

Itachi laughed, reaching into his pocket for some money to pay for their lunch. "Okay, then, tomorrow morning it is," he said, leaving the money on the table before extending his hand to Sakura across the booth. "Ready to go?"

Sakura's face was still pulled into a pout, but she took his hand anyway and let him lead her back outside.

"You're cranky today, aren't you, Cherry?"

Sakura glared at him.

"I like you when you're a little bit grouchy," he continued, grinning through her petulant glances in his direction.

"I'm not grouchy," she said. "I'm just tired. I need a vacation. And my feet hurt. And I didn't really care for that food."

"Sounds like the definition of grouchy."

She shoved him roughly by the shoulder, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "How about a quick spar?" she asked, her voice dangerously low. "So I can get out some of this _grouchy_ energy."

Itachi laughed. "No way I'm sparring with you while you're grouchy," he said. "You'll break every bone in my body. And I'm going to need those if we're leaving for Tea Country tomorrow."

Sakura shrugged, but didn't seem too bothered by his rejection.

"Although," he continued. "I can think of another activity we could do to waste some time before we leave."

"Oh?" she asked, raising her brow.

"A romantic, but also sweaty and rigorous activity…"

"Oh."

Itachi couldn't help the wide, warm smile that lit his features. It would have been impossible to frown while watching Sakura's face shift from bemused and curious to shy and blushing to flushed and eager.

"That's an even better plan," she said. He let his eyes linger on the flush across her cheeks and chest, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle, finally rid of some of that grouchiness that was amusing, but not nearly as amusing as this new mood she was in.

"I thought so, too," he said, picking her up by the waist and flinging her over his shoulder.

Sakura laughed with delight, though Itachi knew he was one of the few people in the world who had the privilege of being able to manhandle Sakura like this and not incur her wrath.

"Hey, Itachi," she said between giggles as he carried her through the street.

"Yes, Cherry?"

She leaned her head in closer to his ear, the barest touch of her lips ghosting against its shell. "I love you," she said and then kissed where his jaw met his neck.

"I love you, too," he said automatically, like it was the easiest thing in the world for him to say. He couldn't remember whether or not she had said that to him before. He certainly couldn't remember ever saying it to her. But it was true – he did love her, and he knew she loved him, too. She didn't even need to say it, but he was filled with a pleasant warmth hearing those words, feeling the delicate press of her lips against his skin.

"Thank you," she said. He set her down on her feet, a little concerned about the seriousness of her tone. She was still smiling jovially, letting her hands linger on his chest and shoulders as her feet dipped down to the touch ground.

"For what?"

"For loving me even when I'm grouchy."

He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "You deserve nothing less," he said.

"Do you trust me?"

Sakura eyed Itachi warily, wondering whether however she would answer that question would change their trip back home. They were both just outside the inn they'd been living in for the past week, their packs hanging from their shoulders. Itachi had considered his father's words, his mother's urging, and decided that Sakura was the woman he would make his wife. After everything they'd been through together, he couldn't imagine anyone else by his side for the rest of his life but her.

Even more so now after their relaxing week touring Tea Country, trying new foods, seeing new sights, and enjoying one another's company, Itachi's affection for Sakura had grown to the point where a marriage proposal was logically the next step he should take.

And given that Itachi had been schooled in romance by the woman herself, he felt a certain pressure to give her a romantic proposal. His initial thought had been to propose to her atop Madara's head – the first place she had taken him, and arguably the place he had fallen in love with her.

But after some consideration, he decided that there was no way to surprise her up there. If he asked her to climb Madara's statue with him, she would surely suspect a proposal. After all, it was now a well-known fact to the both of them that the Valley of the End was one of the most romantic places in Fire Country.

No, Itachi had another plan – one he hoped would be to Sakura's liking. But he needed her to play along, which was not very Sakura-like behavior.

"Do I trust you to what?" she demanded, hands on hips. He smiled at her antics, amused by her sassiness.

"You think I'd hurt you?" he asked.

"No."

"Or do something untoward?"

"Well, no."

"I have a surprise for you," he said. "A place I want to visit before we head back to Konoha."

"And I need to trust you to be able to go there?" she asked.

He nodded, giving her a wry smile. "Exactly," he said.

"Why?" she asked, suspicious.

"You'll see," he said, taking her hand in his and leading her through the tiny tea village back toward Fire Country. They would have to travel a little farther east than they normally would to get back to Konoha, so as they made their way to his surprise destination, Itachi took the lead, making sure they stayed on target.

Quite honestly, Itachi enjoyed the journey there and the journey back more than he enjoyed the vacation itself. He couldn't deny that he'd had fun fooling around with Sakura in Tea Country, but there was something about the normalcy of traveling, or having Sakura by his side that made Itachi feel truly grateful for all the blessings his life had given him.

So he soaked up every bit of pleasure he could get from his journey with Sakura to his secret location. He joked and laughed with her, teasing her the way she liked (or sometimes the way she didn't like). He wasted no opportunity to touch her, to hold her hand, or guide her with a hand on the small of her back. Sakura, too, let her hands wander, teasing him not just with gentle touches and caresses here and there, but also rough shoves, flicks to the forehead, and light hair pulling.

Once he could hear the rush of water, the laps the ocean made as waves crashed against the shore, Itachi turned back to face Sakura, holding her hands in his.

"This is where you'll need to trust me," he said.

"Why?" she asked. "Because you brought me to the beach even though you know I dislike it?"

"I didn't bring you to the beach, Cherry," he laughed, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. "Come here. Let me blindfold you."

"Ooh," she said, her voice rising an octave. "Sounds kinky."

He laughed again. "It isn't. Just come here."

Obediently, Sakura let Itachi tie his handkerchief around her eyes. When he was satisfied with her lack of vision, her took her arm in his and guided her toward the shore.

"Itachi, I swear if you're taking me to the beach there will be hell to pay."

"Just trust me, Sakura," he said. "I promise you'll love it."

Sakura made a small noise of disagreement with the back of her throat, but she said nothing else as Itachi led her across the wooded area just beyond the beach she suspected he was taking her to. In spite of her disapproval, she clung to his arm, leaning against him and sighing contentedly.

Once they were past the trees and there was sand beneath their feet, Itachi removed his pack from his back and then pulled Sakura's from her shoulders as well. "We can leave our stuff here," he said, setting their belongings down at the base of a tree. "I'm going to have to carry you the rest of the way."

"What?" she demanded. "Why?"

He kissed her mouth, catching her a little off guard while she was blindfolded. But she returned his kiss nonetheless. "Because you don't like sand, remember?" he said, hoisting her up off her feet and onto his back.

"I can walk, Itachi," she insisted, though her tone was light and not anywhere near the deadly tone used to indicate that he should actually put her down.

"You'd get sand in your shoes," he said. "I know how much you hate that."

"If you know how much I hate the beach, then why are you taking me there?"

He gave her a pat on the backside. "You'll see soon enough, Cherry." He crossed over the beach and boarded the dock that was waiting nearby. He had arranged all of this by messenger the night they left to go to Tea Country, so there waiting for them at the end of a dock was a small boat. He deposited her in the boat and untied it.

"A boat?" she asked as he kicked the boat away from the dock.

Itachi hummed in response, watching as she dipped her fingers into the water beside her. He rowed them out farther into the water, carefully noting their position in case the current swept them away. A rowboat on the ocean was no easy thing to maneuver, even for a shinobi like Itachi.

"Can I take off the blindfold?"

"Not yet," he answered.

"Can I kiss you?"

Itachi laughed and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips. "The answer to that will always be yes, Sakura," he said.

"Now can I take off the blindfold?"

Itachi glanced up at the sky, noting the position of the sun and the moon. They were far enough away from the shore that it was just a line on the horizon now. Her surprise would come soon – any second now.

"Yes, take it off."

"Oh," she said, a little surprised that he changed his tune so quickly. She unraveled his handkerchief from around her eyes and let her eyes wander around her.

"Oh, look," she said. "We're on the ocean." She did not sound impressed.

"Come here."

She gave him a wary look before glancing back toward the shore – barely visible from where they were. She seemed nervous.

"You trust me, don't you, Cherry?"

"Yes," she said, drawing the syllable out like she might change her mind before she finished uttering the word.

"Okay, then, turn around."

Obediently, Sakura turned back toward the shore. Itachi grabbed her shoulders gently and pulled her back to his chest until she was reclined against him and they were both laying back against the wooden bench in the boat.

"Oh, wow," she said now looking up into cloudless sky. "Look at the moon."

Itachi chuckled. "Yes, it's pretty, isn't it?"

"Not half as pretty as you, Itachi-kun."

He pinched her thigh, causing her to squeal and wriggle against him. He kissed the top of her head and pointed up at the moon and the sun, which were now both very close together in the sky.

"Just keep watching the moon," he told her.

Together they watched as the moon's circle began to intersect with the sun's. It was just after noon, so the sun was still quite high in the sky. The world was brightly lit and hot, and the clear, blue sky was made all the more beautiful by the darkening shift in lighting.

"An eclipse?" she asked, her eyes still trained on the celestial bodies above them.

"Yes," he said. "A solar eclipse. For just eight minutes, the sky will go completely dark. It will only be visible in this region."

She made a small noise of appreciation and sighed. Itachi wrapped his arm tighter around her. They continued to watch the sky – the moon moving closer and closer toward the center of the sun. The sky began to darken, rendering the world around them into shades of twilight blue. The shadow of the moon swept over them like a blanket, covering them with it's darkness.

And then the moon covered the sun entirely, blocking its light. It the pitch darkness that surrounded them, Itachi felt Sakura's grip on his forearm tighten. Planets and stars popped up in the sky out of nowhere. The halo of the sun – its corona shone in a bright ring around the moon.

"Holy shit," she said in a low whisper.

"Look at the horizon," he muttered into her ear. She dipped her chin down, following the line his finger drew to the horizon near the shore. All around them the sun lit up the world, creating a circle of light around them – the daytime light that everyone but them could see. They were enjoying the light of day as usual in Konoha, but here on the ocean in their little boat, they were cocooned in the moon's shadow.

"Itachi," she breathed. "This is amazing. You planned this for us?"

He hummed and kissed the top of her head again. "I did," he said. "What do you think?"

"It's romantic as hell."

"I'm glad you think so," he laughed. "Because there is something I wanted to ask you."

He felt her tense up in his arms for a split second before she turned sharply to face him, rocking the boat as she moved back to her own seat.

"No way," she said. "You're going to ask me to marry you, aren't you?" In the glow of the sun's ring – no brighter than the moon's light, he could see the excitement on her features, the glee that sparkled in her eyes.

"Well, now you've ruined it," he said, doing his best to refrain from pouting because that was unseemly and ungentlemanly.

She giggled and reached forward to brush a lock of hair away from his face. "Did it ever occur to you that I might want to be the one to ask?" she asked.

"Do you want to?"

"Yes."

Itachi pursed his lips, caught off guard by her reaction and little nervous now that his plan had gone awry. "Okay, fine," he said. "You can be the one to ask."

Sakura smiled and leaned back against the boat, looking back up at the eclipse above their heads. She sighed, her grin infectious, but also concerning as she watched the sky.

"Well? Aren't you going to ask?"

Sakura laughed as she leaned forward and kissed him again. "Itachi, will you marry me?"

With a petulant cock of his head, he pretended to consider her offer. "I'll have to think about it," he said.

"Please?"

He drank in the sight of her – the way her eyes glittered with amusement, the contentedness of her features that hadn't been there prior to their vacation. She was leaning in toward him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she waited for the answer she knew was coming.

"Okay," he said. "I'll marry you.

She squealed with delight and threw her arms around his neck. The boat rocked beneath her amorous attack, but Itachi couldn't bring himself to care. He wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her, tangling his fingers in her hair to hold her face in place as he kissed her over and over again.

"I love you, Itachi," she said breathlessly once they had broke apart.

"I love you, too, Sakura."

* * *

Author's Note:

That's it! I really hope you guys liked this story and I'm so grateful for all your really sweet reviews! If you can spare the time, I'd really love to hear your feedback about what I could do better next time, or what you thought really worked that I should keep doing. I always appreciate constructive criticism!

Side note: yes, I just happen to live in the path of totality of the most recent eclipse. I actually wrote this chapter a couple weeks before the eclipse so I had no knowledge other than what I Googled of what it would look like. After actually seeing it, though, I don't think I did it justice in the scene, but whatev.

Ps, be on the lookout for my GaaSaku story coming up next. I'll start uploading chapters next Friday. :)


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